Over two million public charging sessions take place each month

Data from Zapmap has revealed that over two million successful electric vehicle charging sessions are now taking place on the public network each month, with nearly 60 per cent of these on rapid / ultra-rapid chargers.

Zapmap is able to take advantage of open data opportunities brought about by Public Charge Point Regulations. By collating and analysing status data provided by charge point operators (CPOs) for each charge point in their network via the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI), Zapmap tracks the time each UK public charge point spends in use.

Zapmap utilisation data shows that the busiest day for the public charging network in 2024 fell on 23rd December, which saw 104,215 charging events, while the quietest day for the network was the 25th December, with 33,250 charges. The peak summer travel day, with 66,621 charging events, fell on 2nd August, the first Friday after the majority of schools in England broke up for the summer holidays. A thorough understanding of utilisation rates can be used by CPOs and other industry players to enhance strategic planning, improve operational efficiency and optimise the customer experience.

Tracking and analysing utilisation rates at its sites enable GRIDSERVE to anticipate needs and strengthen key en-route sites as demand ramps up. Its Exeter Electric Super Hub is consistently the busiest charging site in the country. With the number of sessions per day in the hundreds across the site as a whole during June–August 2023, the CPO was able to respond to growing demand, increasing devices from 12 to 36 High Power chargers. While the average number of sessions per device dropped for the corresponding period in 2024, the charging sessions for the site overall increased by over 100 sessions, allowing for more sessions, a better customer experience as well as giving drivers the confidence that the GRIDSERVE site is ready for future demand.

Fastned uses a variety of metrics to ensure it is growing its sites in line with demand, as there are many factors to consider. For example, this week, two of its best-performing stations, Ramac Way in London and Ruygenhoek-West in the Netherlands, showed just how important it is to review multiple metrics to judge site performance. On that day, the Dutch site had the lower utilisation in terms of the percentage of the time each charge point was in use (approx. 20%), conversely the British site, with triple the utilisation (approx. 60%), delivered approximately twice as many kWh per day on a per charge point basis.

These examples highlight both the growth of the public charging infrastructure and the way in which CPOs can effectively monitor, respond to and anticipate utilisation demand to serve the next million EV drivers.

Jade Edwards, Head of Insights at Zapmap, commented: "As increasing numbers of drivers transition to electric vehicles and more investment is made into the charging infrastructure, tracking utilisation to fully understand usage patterns will not only ensure that CPOs optimise the customer experience but also enable them to progress towards profitable businesses.”

Rebecca Trebble, Chief Product Officer, GRIDSERVE, commented: “Utilisation is more than just a snapshot at a single point in time or over a 24-hour period. Tracking fluctuations in traffic and charging patterns help us to fully understand the customer experience, with peak times telling one story and off-peak times offering a completely different perspective.

“At GRIDSERVE, we take a holistic view which allows us to find a good balance between availability and utilisation at the times when customers are most likely to need charging. It means we are working ahead of the curve to bring additional chargers online at some of the busier sites. We’re proud that customers choose us for their EV journeys and pleased to be one of the most utilised networks in the UK with over 250,000 charging sessions a month.”

Tom Hurst, UK Country Manager, Fastned commented: "Part of Fastned's "secret sauce" is developing sites with the ability to scale by securing large grid connections, designing with room to grow, and building infrastructure under the ground to enable quick upgrades. Tracking and predicting utilisation growth as EV uptake accelerates is key to maximising the value of this strategy so that we stay just ahead of demand. But we also take a deeper look at our stats to make sure that we're ahead of the game and meeting our customer's needs."