The busiest and quietest times and places to charge your EV this summer

Demand on the UK’s public charging network is set to surge as school holidays in England and Wales get underway.

Motorway services are predicted to be up to 20% busier as schools break up and families head off on well-earned breaks in the UK and beyond from this weekend. With more than one million EVs now on the roads, demand for chargers is likely to be higher than ever, especially along motorways and other major routes.

With most school terms ending on Friday 26 July, the following week is forecast to be busiest as families start their getaways. The final two weekends of August are also predicted to be some of the busiest with the August Bank Holiday directly followed by the final weekend of the summer break.

To help EV owners navigate the peak periods, Gridserve, which operates 1,400 motorway chargers on its Electric Highway has identified the expected busiest sites and times across its network.

Most of the busiest locations are along the M6, M5, M4 and M40, with locations on the A1 and M1 also likely to see a sharp increase in demand. Internal Gridserve data shows that, predictably, chargers are most in demand between 11am and 1pm as families look to top up their car while they have lunch. In contrast, 9am and 3pm are likely to be up to 20% quieter and if you can charge before 8am or after 6pm you’ll see a dramatic drop in competition for chargers.

Rebecca Trebble, chief customer experience officer said: ‘Gridserve hopes this crucial data will help drivers plan their route and journey and avoid unnecessary queues. We would encourage drivers to download the new Gridserve app to check live availability and to find your nearest charger.

“If the journey is passing by one of these busiest sites, then try and plot an alternative route in advance to one of the other Gridserve Super Hubs or Retail Hubs where more chargers are available.”

Ahead of the summer break, Gridserve announced a 20% discount on charging costs until the end of September for drivers using its new app.

While the data is specific to Gridserve’s chargers, other networks are likely to see similar spikes in demand at the same times and along the same major motorways.