Shell to install 50,000 EV charge points across the UK

Shell’s Ubitricity division has announced plans to install 50,000 on-street electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the UK over the next four years.

The move is part of wider industry efforts to increase EV charging infrastructure to drivers who lack off-street parking, and match the expected rise in demand for charge points as the UK government’s ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles kicks in from 2030.

There are approximately 25,000 public charge points in the UK – with 150,000 needed by 2025, according to government advisory panel The Committee for Climate Change.

“Together with industry and local authorities, we can create cleaner, greener local communities – providing EV charge points for people without off-street parking across the country,” said UK Transport Minister Rachel Maclean.

“As more and more people make the switch to electric, this is a great example of how private investment is being used alongside government support to ensure that our EV infrastructure is fit for the future. This is crucial as we build back greener and accelerate towards COP26.”

Speed up

Shell’s plans could see it control a third of the UK’s EV charging market by 2025.

The firm’s Ubitricity division already has approximately 3,600 charge points in the UK, mostly built into existing infrastructure like streetlamps, and says it will support local authorities with a financing offer to install more on-street chargers at “potentially zero cost”.

The UK government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) currently meets 75 percent of the cost of installing on-street chargers through the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS).

For local authorities looking to install Ubitricity charge posts, Shell says it is prepared to cover the remaining costs, subject to ‘commercial terms’.

“It’s vital to speed up the pace of EV charger installation across the UK and this aim and financing offer is designed to help achieve that,” said David Bunch, Shell’s UK Country Chair.

“Whether at home, at work or on-the-go, we want to give drivers across the UK accessible EV charging options, so that more drivers can switch to electric.”

‘Slow and patchy’

Over 60 percent of households in English cities and urban areas lack access to off-street parking – this rises to 68 percent for people living in social housing.

Several government departments, committees and agencies have voiced concerns about the current state of the UK’s EV infrastructure.

In July, the Competition and Markets Authority warned that the rollout of on-street public chargers had been “slow and patchy”, and in May the UK’s parliamentary public accounts committee said the country had a “mountain to climb” to reach its goals on phasing out petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030.

Image: Royal Dutch Shell plc