The RAC has long argued that more rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are needed nationally, as high-powered units enable drivers to make journeys beyond the range of their vehicles in the most time-efficient way.
RAC EV spokesperson Simon Williams said: “Concerns about the lack of public charge points are one of the biggest reasons why drivers aren’t choosing to go electric when buying their next car, with six-in-10 telling us this. It’s very encouraging to see supermarkets doing their best to allay these fears by ramping up EV charging facilities across a greater proportion of their estates.3
“The data also shows a surge of investment in the very fastest chargers. These rapid and ultra-rapid units are the closest drivers can get to filling up with fuel because they offer the fastest charging speeds, helping to reduce queues so motorists can resume their journeys as quickly as possible.
“As the supermarkets currently dominate UK fuel sales, it makes sense for them to try to retain as much of that market as they can by catering to the needs of all EV drivers looking to recharge as quickly as possible.
“It’s also great to see them bringing rapid charging to more urban areas, as this complements the obvious and much-needed focus on motorway service areas.”
Supermarkets are one of the most popular charging locations for EV drivers across the UK, as Zapmap’s latest EV charging survey demonstrates. Although motorway services and EV charging hubs displaced supermarket car parks as the most popular UK charging locations in 2023, supermarkets remain in the top three of the most regularly used location types, with more than 35% of respondents indicating they regularly stop at supermarkets to charge, as they are part of a regular routine whereby drivers can tie charging into their weekly shop.
Melanie Shufflebotham, COO & Co-founder of the UK’s leading charge point mapping service Zapmap, said: “With around 3,000 charge points now in place at supermarkets across the UK, it’s really positive to see this sustained growth at such popular charging locations for EV drivers. Not only did the total number of supermarkets offering EV charge points rise by almost 60% last year, but we also saw significant growth in the number of those all-important rapid and ultra-rapid chargers.
“These new chargers, especially the high-powered charge points, will provide any drivers who are not able to charge at home with much-needed local options – allowing them to charge while doing the weekly shop – as well as serving drivers on longer journeys and providing facilities for a quick break or a snack. With the launch of Sainsbury’s new network Smart Charge, and MFG’s acquisition of hundreds of Morrison’s sites across the country, it’s great to see this trend continuing in 2024.
“Our focus at Zapmap continues to be on providing electric car drivers with the information they need to find reliable, available charging while they’re out and about. We’re looking forward to putting many more supermarket locations on the map as they are rolled out in 2024.”
In 2022, the RAC joined forces with Zapmap to be even better placed to help any EV drivers that do run out of charge, with the Zapmap app distributed to the RAC’s 1,600 patrols via all their devices. This enables them to locate the nearest suitable public charge point for RAC members to get their EV recharged and back on the road again as quickly as possible.
And when the vehicle can’t be fixed at the roadside, the RAC’s All-Wheels-Up recovery system can safely tow broken-down EVs with all four wheels off the ground.
Zapmap is focused on making charging simple for electric car drivers across the UK and mainland Europe, providing a market-leading app that enables users to search, plan and pay for charging all in one go.
With over 70% of chargers on Zapmap showing 24/7 live availability status, EV drivers use the app to choose from many thousands of public charge points in the UK and Europe and enjoy peace of mind on longer journeys in their electric car.
