Data from Zapmap, an EV charging map app, has revealed that there are over two million charging sessions a month on the public network.
Nearly 60% of these charging sessions utilise rapid or ultra-rapid chargers – which can charge electric vehicles in 20 minutes to an hour.
The data has been collected using the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI), a system that enables networks to share information. By gathering status data from Charge Point Operators (CPOs) across the UK, Zapmap has been able to provide insights into the utilisation trends of the country’s 76,000 charging devices.
The research found that in 2024 the busiest day for public charging was December 23rd with 104,215 charging events. Comparatively, the quietest day was December 25th, with only 33,250 charges. According to the research, the day during the summer season with the highest number of charging events was the 2nd of August, the first Friday after the school holidays began - with a total of 66,621 charges.
Understanding the utilisation trends of the country’s charging devices will help CPOs and other industry stakeholders to improve efficiency and enhance customer experience. This has already been seen in Gridserve’s Exeter charging hub, where the CPO was able to recognise and respond to growing demand by installing additional charging points.
Head of insights at Zapmap, Jade Edwards, said: “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.”
