The number of successful electric vehicle (EV) charging sessions on the UK’s public network has surpassed two million per month, according to new utilisation data from Zapmap. Nearly 60% of these sessions are now taking place on rapid and ultra-rapid chargers—devices rated 50kW or more that can typically charge an EV to 80% in under an hour.
Zapmap’s data, collected via the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) from charge point operators (CPOs), provides the most detailed picture yet of public EV charging usage across the nearly 76,000 devices in the UK network. The busiest charging day in 2024 was 23 December, with 104,215 sessions, while the quietest was Christmas Day, with 33,250. The first major summer travel day, 2 August, saw 66,621 charging events.
The data is helping CPOs to respond to patterns in real-time. GRIDSERVE, whose Exeter Electric Super Hub is consistently the busiest in the country, expanded capacity from 12 to 36 high-power chargers after utilisation surged in 2023. While average sessions per device decreased, total site usage rose by over 100 sessions daily, significantly improving throughput and customer experience.
Rebecca Trebble, chief product officer at GRIDSERVE, said: “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 helps us fully understand the customer experience. It means we are working ahead of the curve to bring additional chargers online at some of the busier sites.”
Fastned is also closely monitoring site usage as part of its expansion strategy. Its Ramac Way site in London achieved triple the utilisation rate of its Dutch counterpart, Ruygenhoek-West, despite the latter being one of its top sites in the Netherlands. This, Fastned said, demonstrates the importance of analysing multiple metrics, including total energy delivered, when evaluating performance.
Tom Hurst, UK country manager at Fastned, commented: “Tracking and predicting utilisation growth as EV uptake accelerates is key to maximising the value of our strategy so that we stay just ahead of demand. But we also take a deeper look at our stats to make sure we’re ahead of the game and meeting our customers’ needs.”
Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, added: “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.”
The growth in data-driven network planning comes as the number of EV drivers in the UK continues to rise sharply, underlining the need for resilient and scalable charging infrastructure.
