UK Inquiry Tracker

Public charge points for electric vehicles

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry

Opened: 29 Nov 2024 Closed: 16 May 2025 Parliament page

The UK’s domestic transport sector was responsible for almost 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. To combat this, the Government has a manifesto commitment to end the sale on new combustion-only (petrol or diesel) vehicles by 2030. To support this transition, an estimated 300,000 Electric Vehicle (EV) public charging … Read more The UK’s domestic transport sector was responsible for almost 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2023. To combat this, the Government has a manifesto commitment to end the sale on new combustion-only (petrol or diesel) vehicles by 2030. To support this transition, an estimated 300,000 Electric Vehicle (EV) public charging points will need to be installed in the same time frame. The National Audit Office (NAO) recently launched an investigation into how successful the Government has been in identifying and mitigating the challenges likely to impede a successful rollout of charging infrastructure. They will also be examining if the Department for Transport (DfT) is likely to achieve value for money in the rollout. In 2021, the Committee reported on the challenges likely to prevent the Government from reaching its target of phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. The Committee did not believe that the Government had a sufficient strategy to ensure all EV owners would have easy access to charging points, particularly those without access to off-street parking. Following the Committee’s report, the Department for Transport released their UK electric vehicle infrastructure strategy which outlined their strategy to address this issue. Based on the NAO’s work, the Committee will take evidence from senior officials from the Department for Transport, with likely focuses including: If the Department has a strategy to address the geographical disparities in the availability of EV charging points; If sufficient funds are available to support local authorities to install public charging stations and; The accessibility of public charging infrastructure Please note the Committee is unable to help with individual cases. Please look at the requirements for written evidence submissions and note that the Committee cannot accept material as evidence that is published elsewhere. The deadline date for submitting evidence will be updated on this page once confirmed. Show less

5 Recommendations

26 Conclusions

1 Report

1 Oral session

3 Letters

1 Event

Activity timeline 6 events

4 Sep
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the updated response on the Treasury Minute response on the…

1 Jul
2025

Correspondence

Letter to the Interim Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the Treasury Minute Response on PAC's 14th Report of …

16 May
2025

Report published

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fourteenth report from Session 2024-25

12 Mar
2025

Report published

14th Report - Public charge points for electric vehicles

11 Feb
2025

Correspondence

Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the oral evidence session held on 20 January 2025, …

20 Jan
2025

Oral evidence

Oral evidence session

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

20 Jan 2025

View on parliament.uk

Jo Shanmugalingam · Department for Transport Nick Shaw · Office for Zero Emission Vehicles Richard Bruce CBE · Office for Zero Emission Vehicles Directorate

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
14th Report - Public charge points for electric vehicles	HC 512	12 Mar 2025	31	Response document linked

Recommendations & Conclusions

31 results

2 Conclusion

14th Report - Public charge points…

Update committee on LEVI programme progress, spending, procurement outcomes, and local authority support

Delays to the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) programme mean that local authorities need further support. The £450m LEVI programme supports local authorities in England to install charge points where they identify they are most needed. In setting up the … Read more

HM Treasury

Public charge points for electric vehicles

Activity timeline 6 events

Oral evidence sessions 1 session

Reports 1 report · click to expand

Recommendations & Conclusions

Update committee on LEVI programme progress, spending, procurement outcomes, and local authority support

Set out steps to address ultra-rapid charge point gaps on strategic road network

Set out monitoring plan for Public Chargepoint Regulations, costs, and VAT impacts

Set out actions to improve charge point accessibility and align international standards

Set out vision for public charging network and inter-departmental coordination improvements

Shift to electric vehicles necessitates a comprehensive public charging network for all drivers

Public charge point requirements vary significantly by local area, influenced by diverse needs

LEVI programme struggles to address inequalities; operators favour commercially viable areas

Current charge point per head metric fails to reflect regional variations effectively

LEVI programme's dual funding model successfully engaged all eligible local authorities

Local authorities faced delays due to unrealistic capability building and late procurement changes

Ensure ongoing support for local authorities to conduct successful, good-value charge point procurements

Ultra-rapid charge points on strategic roads crucial for motorist confidence and range anxiety

Motorway ultra-rapid charge point targets missed due to optimistic planning and grid connection issues

Current ultra-rapid charge point benchmark insufficient for future demand and power capacity

Significant distribution gaps persist for ultra-rapid charge points on major A-roads

Rapid Charging Fund unspent after five years, creating industry investment uncertainty

Determine actions to ensure public charging network meets needs of all drivers and remote locations

Electricity grid connection processes remain unfit for purpose, delaying charge point rollout

Planning processes remain a bottleneck for charge point installation, increasing costs and delays

Wider aspects like fire safety and charge point placement require further attention for EV transition

Public charge point use became too complex due to payment, pricing, and reliability issues

Public Chargepoint Regulations introduced to improve pricing, payment, reliability, and data for motorists

Impact of new charge point regulations is only just beginning to be observed and monitored

Drivers reliant on public charge points pay significantly more due to VAT and other costs

Department monitors public charging costs and promotes home charging access for on-street parking

Cost disparity for public charging disproportionately impacts demographic groups without off-street parking

Many public charge points remain inaccessible for disabled drivers despite new accessibility standards

Accessible charge point standard remains unmandated and poorly understood by operators.

Component availability for accessible charge points hindered by international supply chains.

Public charge point network failing to meet disabled drivers' needs without standard.

Correspondence 3 letters