CCN Analysis - Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

Our analysis examines progress in the rollout of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure across England, with a particular focus on county and rural areas.

While electric vehicle ownership has risen rapidly over the past five years, the report shows that charging infrastructure has not expanded evenly. Counties, where residents are more reliant on cars and public transport options are more limited, risk falling behind urban areas.

The analysis highlights the implications for decarbonisation, consumer confidence and local economies, and sets out what is needed to ensure the electric vehicle transition is genuinely nationwide.

Key findings include:

• Plug‑in vehicle registrations in county and County Councils Network unitary areas rose from around 70,000 in 2019 to nearly 386,000 in 2023, an increase of 448%, but still account for only 2.1% of all vehicles.
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• There are 13,542 publicly available chargepoints in county areas as of July 2023. Whilst this is a 69% increase since October 2021, it is the same amount as London despite the capital having significantly fewer people than England’s 38 counties.
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• Counties have the weakest coverage, with one chargepoint for every 9.5 road miles, compared with 4.5 miles in metropolitan boroughs and 0.7 miles in London.
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• County areas hold 35% of England’s public chargepoints but almost half of the population, highlighting a substantial infrastructure gap.
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• Around 74% of EV drivers are dissatisfied with charging infrastructure.  

Recommendations to government include:

• Provide further rounds of LEVI funding, distributed on a needs‑based, non‑competitive basis with stronger weighting for rurality.
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• Set a clear national target for county areas, such as one public chargepoint per road mile by 2030.
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• Use public funding to unlock private investment and build local authority capacity and expertise.
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• Ensure rural and county areas are prioritised to prevent a widening urban‑rural infrastructure gap.