Fleets investing in EVs risk falling foul of ‘charging deserts’ in harder-to-reach areas of the UK, according to industry figures.
While grid capabilities are increasing in a bid to keep pace with electric vehicle adoption, the focus is largely on urban areas. This leaves large parts of the country without the grid capacity to support EV charging hubs at scale. In order to be EV-ready, these areas will need significant investment in infrastructure upgrades, which comes at a high cost and long lead times.
Matthew Lumsden, CEO of battery energy storage system specialist Connected Energy, said: “Once you get out of urban areas, there is typically far less power available from the local grid. Upgrading the infrastructure can cost up to half a million pounds, which invalidates the business case for a lot of out-of-town EV charging hubs. We’re already seeing this issue arise up and down the country at motorway services.”
GeniePoint, the third largest rapid charging network in the UK, is exploring innovative ways to deliver charging infrastructure where grid capacity cannot easily support the energy demands of EV charging.
