Record month for electric vehicle charging installations in April

April saw a record year-on-year increase in the number of electric vehicle chargepoint installations across the UK.

According to the latest figures from Zap-Map, 1213 new charging devices were installed in April, a record number within a month, bringing the total to 31,507 across the UK across 19,707 locations. This represents a 35% increase in charging devices over the past year.

In April 2022 there were 259 new rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices installed, bringing the total to 5,751 across 3,501 locations. This includes an increase of 74% in the number of ultra-rapid devices, capable of adding from 70 miles in as little as 15 minutes, since April 2021.

Additionally, ‘slow’ chargers witnessed a 46% year-on-year increase, with 8,166 units available in the UK at the end of the month. Fast chargers, which offer speeds of up to 50kW, are the most common across the UK, with 17,590 units available. These chargers also saw a 31% increase last month.

The number of rapid chargers, which can charge electric vehicles with speeds of up to 100kW, also grew by 20% in the same period, bringing the total to 4,151 by the end of April.

Melanie Shufflebotham, COO and Co-founder of Zap-Map said: “The rapid and ultra-rapid charger roll-out continues at pace. These charging devices are an important part of the infrastructure for the transport transition, as they make longer journeys possible by providing a way for people to charge en route.

“Ever growing numbers of drivers are switching to electric as they realise not only the environmental but the financial benefits, given the soaring costs of petrol. This makes it ever more important that people can easily find reliable charging to power their vehicles, so it’s great to see the industry respond to demand.”