New report reveals, workplace charging stations outnumber public charging points

According to a new report, workplace charging stations outnumber public charging points. The new study claims that there are more charge points in the workplace than public chargers for electric vehicles (EVs). The number of charge points at businesses in the UK is 33,000, as opposed to 31,500 at public sites, according to a new report by Transport and Environment (T&E).

The number of public charging stations has increased rapidly over the previous year, according to C3. According to T&E, 7,600 public charging stations have been installed in the past year. According to Cenex's research, the existing public network has enough charge points for the amount of battery electric vehicles currently on British roads.

The study also found that the majority of EV drivers (70%) charge their vehicles at home, with just over a quarter (27%) using public charge points. T&E’s head of electric vehicles, Greg Archer, said: “Workplace charging is a key part of the EV revolution as it helps remove one of the main barriers to EV ownership – ‘range anxiety’.

“However, while the government offers generous financial incentives for employers to install charge points, it has been slow to roll out its own EV infrastructure plan, meaning that many drivers are still being left stranded without a charge.”

The UK government has said that it wants all new cars and vans to be ‘effectively zero emission’ by 2040. To meet this target, the number of EVs on the roads will need to increase from the current level of around 140,000 to 11 million by 2030. 

However, a recent study by the RAC Foundation found that just 3% of motorists say they are ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to choose an EV as their next car.

The government has responded to the findings of the T&E report, with a spokesperson saying: “We are investing £600 million to grow our EV charging network, with over 12,000 public charge points set to be installed by 2020.

“This, combined with our £35 million investment in workplace charging, will help support our ambition for nearly all cars and vans on our roads to be zero emission by 2050.”

Why this is an important opportunity for hotel operators

When people book a hotel stay, they generally know what to anticipate from the front desk. Checking in and receiving room keys is usually a straightforward procedure, but that's not where the guest experience on site begins.

When guests arrives, every hotel is unique, with pricing, availability of self-parking, and privileges varying greatly. Even though a hotel's website may provide pricing and services information, signposting. EV charging is a must.

It’s important to make the process as frictionless as possible. Ideally, the parking process should be so convenient that it flows seamlessly with your hotel’s other amenities. If a guest is an EV driver they expect EV charging, and if they are met with poor charging facilities or long wait times, it can easily overshadow the entire experience.

Here are some ways to use technology to enhance your hotel’s parking operations and give guests the convenience they value.

Make the Right Technology Upgrades

In the last two years, guest expectations have evolved dramatically. Contactless payments and way-finding via apps were once considered add-ons rather than necessities. Now, many of your visitors demand them.

There’s no reason that hotels can’t offer a similar experience for their EV car built into their stay. With the car being needed to stay for a longer period for charging you have the opportunity to upsell other services.

• Garage access can be integrated into the app, enabling you to automate in/out privileges and add parking fees to the main hotel app.

• Guests can keep track of all of the fees they accrue in the app so there are no surprises at the end of their stay.

• Loyalty programs can be integrated into the app, allowing guests to accumulate points and redeem rewards with ease, and receive rewards for charging during their stay.

• Guests can request valet services before they leave their room, while the car is charging.

What the future EV evolution will look like

T&E states that if installation rates continue at this rate, the UK will be more than ready for higher targets to be implemented in the country's proposed Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate.

Ralph Palmer, UK electric vehicles and fleets officer at T&E, said: “The numbers are proving skeptics wrong: the British people are moving to electric vehicles and there are enough charging stations available to help them in their transition.

“Workplace chargers play a key role in the country’s transition to electric. That’s why the Government should require all non-residential sites to install charging stations so that workers can readily have their vehicle charged for their commute home.” 

However, T&E recognizes that distribution of charging outlets throughout the country is a challenge. The number of charging stations installed per region in London far outstrips the rest. It also has the greatest average charger power, with a greater number of rapid and ultra-rapid (>50kW and >100kW) chargers.

The government should put a premium on ensuring that no areas are left behind as electric vehicle numbers rise, according to T&E. The proportion of all new car purchases in the UK that are electric is continuing to rise at a fast pace, with 14.4 percent pure electric in 2022 up from 6.1% in 2021.

The Department for Transport has introduced a new Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy to combat this development. By 2030, the Government wants the United Kingdom to have 300,000 charge spots.

Workplaces, Hotels and long stays will play an important role in this, with the EV Workplace Charging Scheme (EVWCS) looking to have EV charge points available to employees at as many workplaces as possible.

The EVWCS, which is administered by OLEV, offers up to £350 per socket (incl. VAT) towards the costs of installation and provision of EV charge points for non-domestic workplaces in England, Scotland and Wales.