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EV charger rollout now held back by ‘cost not coverage’

EV charger rollout now held back by ‘cost not coverage’

London, 30 July (Argus) — The main barrier to electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the UK is affordability, not availability, as operators continue to build infrastructure ahead of demand, charging industry group ChargeUK head of communications Ian McKee said in an interview with Argus . Around one-third of UK households are still without off-street parking, while a much smaller share of current EV owners rely solely on public charging. That gap has become more visible as policy attention shifts from the number of chargers to charging costs, following recent concern that tax changes could further widen the advantage enjoyed by drivers who are able to charge thjeir EVS at home. Concern about charger availability was far more common 3-5 years ago than it is today, and the public charging network has roughly doubled over the past three years, McKee said. Recent analysis found near-home charging provision was around 1½ years ahead of projected demand and motorway charging around six years ahead, according to research firm Cenex. But Cenex does not suggest the issue is solved, estimating that rollout last year achieved only around two-thirds of the pace needed to preserve that lead and that a further 110,000 near-home chargepoints will be needed by 2030. Households without driveways also remain less well served, with only 23pc within a short walk of a public charger, up from 20pc on the year, it added. Cost gap grows, despite charger buildout Availability may be improving, but drivers without home charging still face substantially higher costs. Charging a battery-electric vehicle at home costs around 7p/mile , compared with about 26p/mile using ultra-rapid public charging. Public charging also continues to attract 20pc value-added tax, compared with 5pc on domestic electricity, a difference ChargeUK estimates costs drivers without home charging around £145/yr. The industry's main complaint is not charger hardware, metals or wholesale electricity prices, McKee said, but network and standing charges. Energy costs at rapid and ultra-rapid charging sites have risen by 79pc since 2021, while network charges have risen by around 300pc and standing charges by 462pc over the same period (see graph) , according to analysis done for ChargeUK by consultancy Cornwall Insight. Standing charges are fixed payments for maintaining grid connections and available capacity, regardless of electricity use. They now contribute around 20-30p/kWh at many rapid-charging sites and can account for roughly 70pc of energy bills, ChargeUK said. Costs for power-dense silicon carbide and gallium nitride semiconductors are becoming more important in EV charging equipment and 800V vehicle architectures, but operators are not identifying those materials as major drivers of charging costs. The Argus gallium min 99.9999pc fob China has risen by around 50pc since September to $530-560/kg, while N-type polysilicon has fallen by roughly 40pc to Yn31-33/kg ($4.58-4.88/kg) For copper, despite fast chargers requiring in excess of 60kg of the metal, operators have raised more concerns over theft than procurement costs, McKee said. Operators are increasingly installing battery energy storage systems alongside charging hubs. The systems can reduce required grid-connection sizes, lower exposure to capacity charges and help manage one of the industry's other persistent concerns — access to grid capacity itself. Investment depends on EV sales The charging sector argues it has largely built ahead of demand and now needs EV uptake to catch up. The sector could attract almost £30bn of investment by 2035 under current projections, according to ChargeUK-commissioned analysis by consultancy LCP Delta. That investment case depends heavily on the UK's zero-emission vehicle mandate, which provides confidence that EV demand will continue to grow. Weakening the mandate could remove £1.5bn-2bn of future charging investment, based on ChargeUK modelling cited by McKee. He argued that the effect would fall most heavily on less commercially attractive regions and sites, rather than on the busiest charging corridors. That dependence on future vehicle demand closely mirrors upstream battery-materials markets, where investment decisions in lithium, nickel and other supply chains similarly rest on expectations for future EV sales. The number of UK public chargers increased by 13pc in 2025, while electricity delivered rose by 21pc, but utilisation remained broadly unchanged. Ultra-rapid chargers were occupied only around 13pc of the time, despite a 40pc increase in charger numbers, according to Zapmap. That stability suggests operators are still building ahead of demand, rather than benefiting from sharply higher throughput. It also helps to explain why charging companies remain focused on EV adoption rates, utilisation and policy support, despite continued charger rollout. For the industry, the question is increasingly no longer whether enough chargers exist. For many drivers without a driveway, the bigger question is whether public charging can become cheap enough to compete with home charging. By Chris Welch UK energy costs, historic and forecast, archetypal small industrial user £/MWh Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.