As we head towards one of the busiest bank holiday weekends of the year on UK roads, we discover that many of the most popular holiday hotspots are some of the worst for electric charge points.
Statistics show that there are more than double the number of charge points in Westminster than in the Lake District, Durham and Dorset combined. This could see holidaymakers with electric vehicles finding it difficult to find a place to charge, especially as it gets busier over the Easter weekend. It is also likely that queues will be forming at public charging points on popular tourist routes, which could cause charging anxiety in even the most seasoned electric car drivers.
Electric car drivers heading to other popular destinations including Buckingham Palace, Brighton and Warwick Castle are in luck, with far more public charge points than other destinations, despite the government’s efforts to level up charging infrastructure across the country.
Counties among the top 10 for public charge points*:
- Westminster - 1,147
- Warwickshire - 671
- East Sussex - 520
Counties among the bottom 10 for public charge points*:
- Dorset - 153
- Durham - 191
- Cumbria - 313
*For a full list of English counties, see below.
Founder and CEO of Electrifying.com Ginny Buckley said:
“We’re set for sunny skies this weekend, and although your bags may be packed as you head off for a UK break this Easter, you may find that you could have difficulty finding a public charger. The UK is a two tier nation when it comes to charging infrastructure for electric cars and you’ll find many more chargers in the tiny area of Westminster than in popular staycation counties like Cumbria and Dorset.
There are some charge points which are notoriously unreliable too, which means the number of chargers isn’t keeping up with the growth in electric car ownership. As a result, there may well be some frustrated drivers suffering from charging anxiety over the Easter break. Government plans to boost infrastructure and penalise operators who don’t keep their network online are welcome, but my fear is that the roll out of these plans won’t be able to keep pace with our rapid acceleration to electric driving and we’ll see some areas of the UK continue to lag behind."
Here at Electrifying.com we recommend taking some simple steps, such as planning your route with charge points in mind and making sure your battery is at 100% before you set off to ensure that your journey is as smooth as possible.
The stats come following recent news that Tesla is set to open up its Supercharger network to all electric car owners in the UK within a matter of weeks.
