Press & Blogs

Back

Freedom of information request finds 52 per cent of UK councils have not invested in EV charging in 2021

Freedom of information request finds 52 per cent of UK councils have not invested in EV charging in 2021

A freedom of information request, made by service monitoring company DevicePilot, found that 52 per cent of councilsin the UK made no investment in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in 2021 - in some cases having received no funding from the government in order to do so.  

The average cost of a council-bought charge point in the UK is £6,000.

In light of the findings, DevicePilot suggest that the UK is not ready for universal EV ownership.

DevicePilot CEO and co-founder Pilgrim Beart said, “Universal EV ownership is not a target, it’s an inevitability. 

“In the next ten years, more than half the cars on the road will be electric. To facilitate this transformation, the UK must install tens of thousands of chargepoints reaching every corner of the country. 

“EVs are vital to the UK’s carbon emissions targets, but while some parts of the UK are on schedule to meet greater EV demands, other areas lack the funding to do anything whatsoever.

“I have a lot of sympathy for councils whose budgets have been stretched to breaking point by the pandemic and budget cuts, but we cannot continue to let the divide between the EV haves and have nots grow further. It should be the UK’s short-term goal to ensure everyone in the country can reap the benefits of EVs, not just the privileged few.”

Other key figures from the freedom of information request are:

  • 60 per cent of councils received complaints about EV charging availability and reliability in the past 12 months.
  • Councils have received 15 per cent less government funding for EV charging infrastructure in the past 12 months, compared with the same period in 2020. 
  • 46 per cent of councils are unsure how many charging points they will be able to install in 2022, some of which do not plan to install any. 

Some councils, however, have made considerable investment in EV charging infrastructure. Councils in London, for example, have spent £204,000 so far in 2021, which is more than double the national average. These councils also plan to install 39 new chargers per 100,000 people in 2022. 

You can read the full report by DevicePilot, here. 

Contract hire and fleet management 

Marshall Leasing is a Bank of Ireland (UK) plc-owned business which offers a commercial and flexible approach to business contract hire, contract purchase, sale and leaseback for cars and LCVs fleets and management of purchased fleets. 

If you would like to find out more about our contract hire and fleet management services, please get in touch with us at info@marshall-leasing.co.uk or by calling 01480 414541. Alternatively, please complete our contact form.  

Back



Marshall Leasing is a trading division of N.I.I.B. Group Ltd a company registered in Northern Ireland under company NI3721, whose registered office is situated at 1 Donegal Square South, BELFAST, BT1 5LR. N.I.I.B. Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority