ChargeUK launches as the voice of the EV charging industry with new figures on the scale of charge point deployment now underway.

A new trade association for the UK’s EV charging industry was launched on Tuesday (28 April). ChargeUK unites 18 of the largest companies that install charge points.

Collectively, the members of ChargeUK said they will invest more than £6 billion installing and operating new EV charging infrastructure by 2030, and intend to double the size of the network by the end of 2023.

Ian Johnston, Chair of ChargeUK and CEO of Osprey Charging Network, said: “The formation of ChargeUK is an exciting day and is a demonstration of the electric vehicle charging industry’s growing size and importance to the UK economy. Together we are investing billions of pounds to get more charge points in the ground right across the country. These numbers reinforce our commitment to the UK’s Net Zero future. We will continue to be a proactive partner to Government as we deliver a world-class charging infrastructure, giving the nation’s drivers confidence to transition to electric vehicles.”

Transport decarbonisation and technology minister Jesse Norman added: “The launch of ChargeUK shows how industry working together, alongside the government, can release private investment, improve delivery, raise standards and promote the use of electric vehicle charging infrastructure for drivers across the country. Our commitment to decarbonising transport, backed by hundreds of millions in funding, has helped to unlock private sector investment, and the ambitious plans of ChargeUK’s members will support more people than ever make the transition to EVs.”

Also commenting on the launch of the new trade body, Mark Newberry, Sustainability spokesperson at Europcar Mobility Group UK observed: “It is encouraging to see the sector coming together to invest a predicted £6 billion in the UK infrastructure by 2030. Providing a single industry voice to work alongside the Government and drive the changes required to rapidly enhance UK infrastructure is key. The promise of tens of thousands of new chargers installed this year illustrates just how urgent this job is.

“It's evident that today, UK employers are already filling the charging gap. Recent research commissioned by Europcar found that more than half of workplaces already provide charging facilities and 52% contribute to the cost of at-home charging for their employees.”
The study of 300 fleet and business travel decision makers also found that 88% believe they will “definitely” or “probably” add workplace charging for employees within the next three years.

“The collaborative approach being adopted by the sector is just what we need to support the government’s ambitious targets for decarbonisation. The industry has made good progress and has the ambition to do much much more. It’s now key that this collaboration helps unlock the UK’s EV potential.”