Are EVs now common?

Having seen so many EVs, we all like to believe that EVs are now common. However, as of the end of April 2025, there are 1.5 million electric cars in the UK, which is only 4.4% of the 34 million cars on the UK roads.

Is public charging now giving drivers the confidence they need?

As of January 2025, the UK has 73,334 public charging points. However, 57% of these charging points have a capacity of less than 8kW. EV drivers like to fast charge when charging away from home, however, only 20% of public charging points deliver 50kW or more.

Geographical distribution is another concern:  43% of public charge points are in London and the South East, which adds another complexity when travelling across the country, especially the rural regions, which are very poorly served. The Department of Transport aimed for every motorway service area to have at least six ultra-rapid charge points by 2023. However, by the beginning of 2025, only 80 out of the 114 motorway service areas met this goal.

The importance of workplace charging

As organisations with significant vehicle fleets have started switching to EVs, workplace charging is becoming increasingly important to meet their own fleet's needs. However, workplace charging does come with some challenges:

• Many organisations encourage their employees to take their vehicles home as this practice reduces the need for overnight parking and allows employees to drive directly to their work locations from home, rather than commuting to a depot to pick up their work vehicles.

• Office or depot locations may lack sufficient grid capacity to support future EV installations.

• Providing charging stations for all EVs may necessitate significant upgrades to the grid connection, which could also lead to increased costs.

• Some employers have chosen to provide EV charging points at employees' homes; however, not all employees have private parking spaces to accommodate such installations.

Organisations need to establish workplace charging infrastructure to meet the requirements of their fleet, encourage EV adoption, improve their corporate image, and demonstrate community leadership. Northumberland County Council commissioned us to design and build an integrated clean energy system for Morpeth County Hall. The project features one of the UK’s largest solar carports, an 800kW solar PV array, a 400kW battery storage system, and 120 EV charge points for use by the Council’s staff. This setup is projected to save 250 tonnes of carbon emissions annually, supply 40% of the County Hall's energy demand, and reduce energy costs by £100,000 to £150,000 each year.

Home charging: A smart choice for EV owners?

Firstly, the electrical infrastructure (capacity of charging point etc.) required for home charging is minimal as vehicles typically have an overnight dwell time of at least 8 hours.

Most car journeys in the UK are less than 100 miles, which is significantly less than the average EV range. Many EV models are now capable of 300 miles or more on a single full charge. For vehicles that can travel more than the daily mileage on a single charge, drivers enjoy increased time efficiency since they do not need to visit a charging point or even a petrol station.

Smart charging (charging at home during off-peak energy times) and using energy from a home Solar PV installation can help keep the charging costs low, and many early adopters of EVs are conscious of their energy consumption and have solar installations at home.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, public charging is often more expensive than home charging, which keeps EV drivers inclined to use their home chargers.

How to make the car park charging more attractive?

While home charging is convenient, car park and on-street charging are essential for those without private parking, especially renters. There is a pressing need for easier planning permissions for charge point installations, as current processes involve multiple stakeholders and increase costs. Additionally, the Department for Transport (DfT) is working to enhance customer experience at public charging points by implementing features like contactless payments, roaming capabilities, and clear pricing displays.

Reducing EV charging costs by installing solar carports

While all the above points help make car park charging more attractive, the most fundamental consideration for EV drivers are their cost to charge. The key question is can solar carports help lower charges?

Solar carports can provide localised power for EV charging stations while reducing the costs associated with grid connections and other power infrastructure. Car park owners can generate additional revenue by selling surplus energy back to the grid or to local businesses through a private wire network.

We believe that solar carports could significantly lower electricity and charging costs for users, making car park charging more appealing.

Other benefits

Solar carports – particularly combined with battery storage – addresses a key issue of electricity distribution capacity constraints and can reduce the grid connection capacity requirements.

Taxis and light commercial vans are a major EV adopter, and these vehicles require high-capacity chargers. This could increase demand on the grid, which could be mitigated to some extent by solar carports.

Additionally, the solar canopies enhance the overall customer experience by offering shade and protection from adverse weather conditions. Scientists at the Met Office have revealed that the likelihood of extreme temperatures in the UK is rising rapidly, with chances of exceeding 40°C increasing. Carport solar systems provide electricity while also protecting vehicles and passengers from such extreme weather.

There are also potential benefits for wider society. Installations could help in enhancing the UK’s renewable energy capacity, increase the productivity of the land (more than a car park) and support high-skilled jobs in the installation and maintenance of solar panels. Solar car ports also contribute to broader sustainability goals by increasing the use of renewable energy and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.

Solar carports transform car parks from passive infrastructure into productive, low-carbon energy assets.

Our experience

We have a unique skillset and experience in the EV sector. We develop EV transition and infrastructure strategies, design the infrastructure solutions, commission and maintain the infrastructure.

In addition, we also operate as a Charge Point Operator (CPO) and e-Mobility Service Provider (eMSP) for many of our key infrastructure clients, such as Gatwick Airport, Aspire Defence and London Borough of Sutton Council. In these roles, we undertake key functions for our clients, such as providing O&M, driver services and helplines and monthly invoicing.

References:

How many EVs are there in the UK - EV market statistics 2024 - Zapmap

Public charge points for electric vehicles

Electric vehicles: costs, charging and infrastructure - GOV.UK