- The UK’s Department for Transport has teamed up with TV personality and car enthusiast Jodie Kidd, to launch a new public campaign to highlight just how far the UK’s public charging network has come – with over 118,000 charging points now online.
- 118,000 EV chargers is nearly double the number of fuel pumps (approximately 60,800) located in the UK.
- Called the ‘Electric Road Trip’, this campaign looks to highlight the wide variety of areas where UK drivers can charge up.
The number of UK public chargers now nearly doubles the number of fuel pumps
The new campaign comes after a recent survey of UK adults indicated that the majority are underestimating just how far the UK’s public charging network has grown. Of 2,000 surveyed, around 71% believed fuel pumps outnumbered charging points – in fact, EV charge points now nearly double the number of fuel pumps. Around 22% also believed that EV charge points could only be found on motorways and in supermarkets, despite the reality of charging points being installed at a vast range of locations.
The campaign is being supported by a number of CPOs, including Be.EV, Fastned, and Osprey. 26 charging locations across the UK have been curated as part of the campaign, from beauty spots to shopping areas – further highlighting the depth of the country’s charging network. This 26 also includes charge points at the mainland UK’s Northern and Southern tips: Land’s End, and John o’ Groats.
The new campaign follows the Department for Transport’s ‘Get that electric feeling’ campaign, launched at the start of the year, which includes advertising through TV, radio, social media, petrol pumps and more, to highlight how consumers can save money by switching to an electric vehicle.
Jodie Kidd commented:
“I’ve always loved road trips and driving an electric vehicle has made them even better. There are chargers even at the most beautiful, unexpected places – you stop, take in the view and you’re back on the road. Once you realise how vast the UK charging network is, going on an electric road trip is smooth and easy – the whole country is open for an electric adventure.”
UK Decarbonisation Minister, Keir Mather, added:
“Industry asked us to back the EV revolution and that’s exactly what we’re doing. Just last year, we announced £600 million to rollout hundreds of thousands of chargers across the UK, building on the 118,000 already available – that’s nearly twice as many chargers as fuel pumps.
We’re also making it more affordable than ever to make the switch, with our Electric Car Grant cutting the upfront cost of EVs by up to £3,750, helping households access savings of up to £1,400 on running costs.”
