Where can I charge my electric vehicle?

In the early days of electric cars, finding somewhere to charge was a cause for concern. Infrastructure was sparse in public places, charging typically took many hours, and the maximum range of many vehicles was in the double digits.

Over the relatively brief history of mass-market electric transport, many of these issues have been largely resolved. It’s now realistic and, in many cases, preferable to use electric vehicles for long-distance journeys, even if you need to charge en route.

Despite negative press, the UK’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure continues to grow month-on-month. So what has changed, and where can you charge your electric vehicle if you run low on juice while away from your usual plug-in point?

More Options Than Ever

Apart from improvements in vehicle range, taking single-charge journeys into the hundreds of miles, there are also more places to charge than ever before. By April 2023, DfT statistics show there were more than 40,000 public EV charge points in the UK.

This includes:

• 7,647 (19%) ‘rapid’ or above
• 22,338 (56%) ‘fast’ chargers

Data used in the regularly updated DfT report is supplied by Zapmap, an app to search for public charging stations in the UK. This is an excellent option if you need to find somewhere to plug in while driving in an unfamiliar area.

Significantly, the total number of charge points grew by over 3,000 since January, an 8% increase, and the number of rapid chargers was up by an even higher 11%.

Where are These Chargers?

So, back to the headline question: Where can I charge my electric vehicle? The good news is that the number of charge points (including rapid chargers) continues to increase in all areas of the UK.

Of those included in the DfT/Zapmap data, 47% are described as ‘destination’ chargers (just over 19,000 devices in total), and 34% are ‘on street’ chargers (13,500 devices). But what do those terms mean?

On-Street Chargers

On-street chargers are plug-in points located streetside, where you can park up and plug in. They are sometimes known as streetlamp chargers, although they’re not always attached to a streetlamp.

In 2023-24, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles announced a £15 million fund to increase the availability of these charge points through the On-street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS). This is in addition to the £381 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund, which aims to make charge points more accessible.

With the UK moving towards banning internal combustion engines in new vehicles, many more charge points will be needed, which means more places to plug in when you’re out and about.

Destination Chargers

Destination Charging is a term popularised by Tesla to describe wall chargers installed at ‘destinations’ like hotels and restaurants, where you can charge your vehicle while you enjoy a meal or an overnight stay.

In general, destination chargers are anywhere your car will be parked for a while, especially on private property such as business premises. This category also includes chargers in council car parks, retail car parks, leisure facilities, education areas, and transport hubs, some of which you might expect to be considered roadside.

The idea of destination charging is to top up your vehicle more slowly, taking advantage of cheaper electricity while reducing demand on rapid charging stations. It’s sometimes offered for free as a perk when you’re a customer of the relevant business.

Workplace Chargers

More and more employers are installing workplace EV charging points, especially those who offer electric company cars as an employee benefit.

This makes perfect sense – if you drive to work, you’ll likely want to recharge your car for the homeward commute, especially if the return journey would be out of range. Having your car run flat while parked at work is not in your employer’s best interests.Again, you’ll often find workplace chargers are provided for free as a benefit, which can add up to the equivalent of a hefty pay rise over a year’s commuting.

En Route Chargers

En route chargers are designed to allow you to continue your journey as soon as possible. This includes motorway service station charge points, other electric forecourts, and restaurant/hotel charge points if they’re rapid or ultra-rapid.

As maximum charger power ratings continue to climb and EVs charge to 80% or more faster, it’s becoming increasingly possible to stop for 20-30 minutes, grab a coffee or a snack, and return to your vehicle to complete your drive with hardly any noticeable delay.

At-Home Chargers

Finally, many EV owners are choosing to install a charge point at home with a dedicated Type 1 or Type 2 connector. This can be a socket to plug in your car’s charging cable or a built-in cable to connect the charger directly to your car.

At-home chargers usually come in around the 7-11 kW mark and will take a few hours to boost your car’s battery significantly. They’re still much faster than charging overnight via a standard 3-pin wall socket, making them an excellent compromise to top up your range on a daily basis, ready for the morning.

How to Find an EV Charger

As you can see, EV charge points are being installed in almost every conceivable location, so it’s a good idea to have your favourites in mind, while also knowing how to find an EV charger while you’re on the road.

Make good use of your at-home or roadside charge point and any workplace charging options, but if you’re aware of somewhere local that allows you to charge for free, or a free destination charger at a restaurant you like, it’s good to take advantage of those too.

Finally, you can use apps like Zapmap or the dedicated Tesla app to find charging stations and Supercharger locations wherever you are. Apps will typically prioritise chargers within your car’s remaining range, so you can feel confident about getting there before you run out of juice.

The days of panicking over a 40-mile drive are long gone, with some of the top electric car models now offering almost up to ten times that range. With infrastructure widespread and continuing to grow, you’re now never far from somewhere to plug in if you’re caught short.