{"id":116794,"date":"2026-01-19T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=116794"},"modified":"2026-01-19T13:53:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T13:53:28","slug":"uk-record-shift-petrol-to-electric-vehicles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/uk-record-shift-petrol-to-electric-vehicles\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Powers Ahead With Record Shift From Petrol to Electric Vehicles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The UK is nearing a pivotal stage in its electric vehicle transition as the number of charging points continues to grow. In the last 12 months alone, the ratio of EV chargers to petrol stations has reached 10.5<\/strong> to one and is expected to rise to 15 to one within the next year, a level comparable to Norway, according to GB News. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also comes as the UK prepares to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030<\/strong>. The steady reduction in petrol stations, which are disappearing at a rate of 3.6 percent annually, mirrors the increasing presence of EV infrastructure across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapid Growth in UK Charging Infrastructure<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

New data from Zapmap<\/strong>, cited by GB News, reveals there are now 87,796<\/strong> electric vehicle charging devices available to the public across more than 45,000<\/strong> locations in the UK. Among these, close to 18,000<\/strong> are rapid or ultra-rapid chargers, designed to meet the needs of long-distance drivers and those needing faster top-ups. Many of these have been installed at newly established \u201csuperhubs\u201d positioned along major traffic routes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since December 2024, the UK\u2019s public charging network has experienced a 19 percent increase year-on-year. This acceleration puts Britain in line to match Norway\u2019s charging network performance, with both countries likely to have similar proportions of high-speed chargers in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift in public infrastructure is being driven in part by government schemes and support from businesses. According to Thom Groot<\/strong>, CEO of The Electric Car Scheme<\/a>, employer engagement has been a key driver in encouraging EV adoption, largely through salary sacrifice schemes. He stated, \u201cOver the past five years, we have seen outstanding support from employers to accelerate EV usage\u2026 and now charging and charging points are the next milestones of success.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workplace Support and Policy Incentives Key to Transition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The UK Government continues to back its Workplace Charging Scheme<\/a>, which is open to businesses, charities, public sector organisations, and certain accommodation providers. The scheme covers up to 75 percent of the costs associated with purchasing and installing EV charging equipment, capped at \u00a330 per socket and limited to 40 sockets per site. According to GB News<\/strong>, this programme will remain active until 31 March 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite progress, some experts warn that momentum must be maintained. Groot emphasised that infrastructure should not lag behind vehicle adoption: \u201cWe are getting to the point where infrastructure will lead to further EV adoption, not follow it<\/em>.\u201d His remarks suggest the direction of future investment should be focused on ensuring accessibility in all areas, particularly in workplaces where the daily charging needs of many commuters could be met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a wider European context, nations such as Germany, France, and the Netherlands are also expanding their public EV infrastructure. Yet, the UK\u2019s current pace could allow it to replicate Norway\u2019s charging network,  considered one of the most advanced globally, in half the time it took the Scandinavian country to reach its current position, according to The Electric Car Scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift away from internal combustion engines appears to be steadily advancing, supported by infrastructure, policy, and growing public demand. If the UK maintains its current rate of progress, the electric future of its roads may arrive sooner than expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure has seen a rapid expansion, placing the country on course to match leading EV nations. With tens of thousands of public charging points already installed, Britain\u2019s transition away from petrol and diesel is accelerating steadily.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":116796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116794"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116794\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116801,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116794\/revisions\/116801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}