Wales is in the slow lane when it comes to providing fast chargers for motorists.
Experts at one of the UK’s leading car dealership Beck Evans analysed the number of rapid chargers across every local authority in the UK per 100,000 residents. The results were ranked from the highest to the lowest ratio.
Wales even trailed behind the Orkneys in the number of chargers it has per 100,000 people and the West Midlands region of Bromsgrove tops the list with 76 rapid chargers per 100,000 residents.
Exeter, in Devon, ranks second with a ratio of 67 rapid chargers out of 155 publicly available chargers per 100,000 locals. The city has 90.13 total available chargers per 1,000 ULEVs.
West Berkshire follows in third place with 62 rapid chargers out of 160 publicly available chargers per 100,000 locals. The area has a ratio of 104.12 total chargers per 1,000 ULEVs.
In fourth place, Buckinghamshire’s Milton Keynes has 59 rapid chargers out of 218 publicly available chargers per 100,000 locals. However, the city only has 14.33 total chargers available per 1,000 ULEVs.
Rounding out the top five, Bassetlaw in Nottinghamshire and Rugby in Warwickshire each have 58 rapid chargers while in sixth place, Stroudin Gloucestershire follows with 57 rapid chargers out of 205 publicly available chargers per 100,000 locals. The town has a ratio of 131.77 total chargers per 1,000 ULEVs.
Traffordand Cherwell tie for seventh place, with 54 rapid chargers out of 85 and 154 publicly available chargers per 100,000 residents, respectively. Trafford has 69.55 total chargers available for 1,000 ULEVs, and Cherwell has 70.01.
Highland is in eighth place with 53 rapid chargers per 100,000 locals. Perth and Kinross follows in ninth place with 52, and South Gloucestershire and Chorley round out the top ten with 51.
Way down the list in joint 17 & 18 places are Ceredigion and Denbighshire on 42 and 41 chargers respectively and Carmarthenshire sinks to 20th position with 38 chargers.
Sam Evans, director of Beck Evans, said of the findings, “There are four main charging speeds for electric cars: slow, fast, rapid, and ultra-rapid.
“These speeds are based on the power levels, which affect how quickly an electric car charges, as rapid chargers can charge an electric car to 80% in as little as 30 minutes, while slow chargers can take 6-12 hours for a full charge.
“Often, poor access to charging points and the inability to get the vehicle charged quickly can be the main drawback for those looking to purchase an EV.”
