Southern councils in England will deploy twice the amount of on-street EV charge points compared to their northern counterparts.

That’s the conclusion of a report by Centrica which says just 9,317 on-street EV chargers are planned to be installed across the whole of the UK by councils in the next four years. 

It says councils will install an average of just 35 on-street EV chargers by 2025.

The research shows a disproportionate distribution of installations across the UK, with southern English councils set to install two and a half times as many on-street EV chargers in the next four years than councils in northern England, the Midlands, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.

The figures show that councils in the south, have also deployed 1,203 more chargers in their streets in the last three years than their northern counterparts.

The report also suggests almost 41% of drivers think there is a divide between the North and the South in council funding for EV charging infrastructure.

The research, which was commissioned by Centrica under a Freedom of Information request to over 400 councils, also shows four-in-five drivers believe it will be easier for drivers with a driveway to make the switch to EVs. 

According to the research, almost 126 councils across the UK have no plans to install any more EV chargers than they already have between now and the end of 2025. 

Two months ago, the government brought forward the ban on new petrol and diesel cars in the UK to 2030. 

Amanda Stretton, Sustainable Transport Editor at Centrica, said: “The latest figures released today demonstrate the need for all UK councils to play their part in helping to achieve the 2030 ban.

“With half of the drivers attributing lack of chargers as the main reason preventing them from purchasing an EV, it’s unfair that those without a driveway risk getting left behind. Charging infrastructure and energy systems will need to be upgraded to cope with the demand and support drivers.”

Article source: https://www.energylivenews.com/2021/01/20/north-south-divide-when-it-comes-to-on-street-ev-charging/