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
5 Recommendations
26 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
3 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 7 events
4 Sep
2025
Correspondence
1 Jul
2025
Correspondence
16 May
2025
Report published
12 Mar
2025
Report published
11 Feb
2025
Correspondence
20 Jan
2025
Oral evidence
20 Jan
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
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
Title HC No. Published Items Response
14th Report - Public charge points for electric vehicles HC 512 12 Mar 2025 31 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
19 results
Clear
2 Conclusion Accepted
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
Government Response
The government provided specific updates on LEVI project approvals, funding awarded (£324.6 million for 71 projects), and confirmed an additional £22 million for the LEVI Capability Fund in 2025-26. It committed to continue supporting local authorities and will provide further updates within six months.
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3 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Set out steps to address ultra-rapid charge point gaps on strategic road network
The Department has been slow to ensure the availability of ultra–rapid charge points at motorway service areas. Motorway service areas are vital for providing confidence to drivers that charge points are widespread and will be available on longer journeys. The … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to writing to the Committee by September 2025 with an update on ultra-rapid charge point rollout on the SRN and at motorway service areas, including work to understand why gaps exist and outlining next steps to address them.
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4 Recommendation Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Set out monitoring plan for Public Chargepoint Regulations, costs, and VAT impacts
The Department has put in place regulations to improve consumer experience, but some drivers pay significantly more than others to charge their vehicles. In 2023, the Department introduced the Public Charge point Regulations to address early consumer concerns around price … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it will monitor the Public Charge Point Regulations through OPSS reporting, a Technology Tracker, open data, and stakeholder engagement, with a review within five years. It already monitors charging costs across channels and will continue to work with HM Treasury to understand VAT variance.
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6 Recommendation Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Set out vision for public charging network and inter-departmental coordination improvements
The Department has more to do in planning ahead for the widespread adoption of electric vehicles. The uptake of electric vehicles and rollout of public charge points is expected to increase over the coming years, as new petrol and diesel … Read more
Government Response
The government detailed its vision for a well-functioning public charging network and committed to digitalising Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) to simplify dedicated EV parking, with a requirement coming into force later in 2025. It also stated that OZEV, a joint unit, already ensures close coordination between DfT and DESNZ on charge point rollout.
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1 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Shift to electric vehicles necessitates a comprehensive public charging network for all drivers
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Transport (the Department) about public charge points for electric vehicles.1 The government has committed to phasing out new petrol and diesel … Read more
Government Response
The government explained its existing methods for monitoring sub-regional charge point provision and how LEVI funding was allocated based on needs, including off-street parking and deprivation. It committed to using a similar needs-based approach for future interventions and observing LEVI fund outcomes.
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7 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Public charge point requirements vary significantly by local area, influenced by diverse needs
Different areas have different requirements for where public charge points should be located and how many are needed. The Department explained that the proportion of public charge points in rural areas broadly aligns with their population and in general 86% … Read more
Government Response
The government states the recommendation is implemented, noting that it already produces quarterly statistics breaking down chargepoint provision by local authority for monitoring sub-regional variability, and that sub-regional need was a guiding principle for Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) funding allocation. It also commits to taking a similar needs-based approach for future interventions and using outcomes from early LEVI procurements.
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8 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
LEVI programme struggles to address inequalities; operators favour commercially viable areas
However, the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority reported to us that while the LEVI programme is attempting to mitigate broader regional inequalities, operators bidding for these contracts are still likely to focus on more commercially viable areas within regions. … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, detailing how LEVI funding allocation already uses a needs-based approach incorporating variables like rurality and deprivation to address areas less commercially viable for private sector provision. It commits to taking a similar approach for any future interventions.
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9 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Current charge point per head metric fails to reflect regional variations effectively
The Department’s current measure of the number of ‘charge points per head’ in each region does not reflect the variations within regions, or what is required in the future.12 We challenged the Department as to what it would do if … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, explaining that it already produces quarterly statistics broken down by local authority and per capita, which enables monitoring of sub-regional variability. It confirms that sub-regional need was a guiding principle for LEVI funding allocation and commits to taking a similar needs-based approach for future interventions.
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10 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
LEVI programme's dual funding model successfully engaged all eligible local authorities
The £450m LEVI programme supports local authorities in England to install charge points where they identify they are most needed.14 The Department has learned important lessons from previous schemes such as its On–Street Residential Charge point scheme. Many central government … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee's conclusion and provides an update on the LEVI programme, highlighting further project approvals, significant capital funding awards, and an additional £22 million for the LEVI Capability Fund for 2025-26, demonstrating continued support for local authorities within the existing framework.
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11 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Local authorities faced delays due to unrealistic capability building and late procurement changes
However, the Department expected local authorities to move at a quick pace, and build their capability to plan for charge point for rollout at the same time as developing projects to deliver. As a result, it took local authorities longer … Read more
Government Response
The government has committed an additional £22 million to continue the LEVI Capability Fund in 2025-26, directly addressing the committee's observation about the need for capability funding for local authorities. The department will also provide a six-month update on LEVI programme progress.
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12 Recommendation Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Ensure ongoing support for local authorities to conduct successful, good-value charge point procurements
These issues have led to delays; by October 2024 only 10 out of 78 projects had been approved for delivery against a March 2025 deadline. These delays have meant that many local authorities are going to market at similar times, … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and commits to continuing to support local authorities, citing the approval of more LEVI projects, substantial capital funding awards, and an additional £22 million to the LEVI Capability Fund for 2025-26 to ensure local authorities retain expertise. The department will also update the Committee within six months.
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18 Recommendation Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Determine actions to ensure public charging network meets needs of all drivers and remote locations
The uptake of electric vehicles and rollout of public charge points is expected to increase over the coming years, as new petrol and diesel vehicle sales are phased out. The Department’s 2022 electric vehicle infrastructure strategy contained a series of … Read more
Government Response
The government states the recommendation is implemented, highlighting its vision for universal charging access, ongoing work to meet the 2030 charging device target, the April 2025 consultation response, the digitalization of Traffic Regulation Orders coming into force later in 2025, and OZEV's role in encouraging chargepoint installation on major road schemes.
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20 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Planning processes remain a bottleneck for charge point installation, increasing costs and delays
Similarly, many planning processes were not designed with charge point operators in mind, causing unnecessary additional cost and time. The Department explained that it had recently announced a series of changes to ease planning barriers and make it easier to … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, committing to digitalising Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) and requiring all authorities to submit digital copies to a central platform, with this requirement coming into force later in 2025 to reduce application times.
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22 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Public charge point use became too complex due to payment, pricing, and reliability issues
In 2021, the Department consulted on drivers’ experience of using public charge points, identifying that the use of public charge points was becoming too complex. In particular, there were too many different payment methods required between different operators, pricing was … Read more
Government Response
The government has appointed the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) to regulate the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, which address the identified concerns about complexity, payment methods, and reliability. The department will monitor compliance and review the PCPR within five years.
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23 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Public Chargepoint Regulations introduced to improve pricing, payment, reliability, and data for motorists
In 2023, the Department introduced the Public Charge point Regulations to address these concerns. These are being introduced over two years to November 2025, but most are already in force. Regulations that are in force include: • Making prices clearer … Read more
Government Response
The government confirms the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 are being regulated by the Office for Product Safety and Standards, with ongoing monitoring of compliance and impact, and a review planned within five years.
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24 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Impact of new charge point regulations is only just beginning to be observed and monitored
When asked how it will monitor whether the regulations are working as intended the Department stated that it is only just starting to see the impact of these regulations and will keep them under review, in part 41 C&AG’s Report … Read more
Government Response
The government states the recommendation is implemented, confirming it has appointed OPSS as regulator for the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 and will monitor compliance through OPSS reports, its Technology Tracker, chargepoint data, and engagement with industry. The regulations will be reviewed within five years.
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26 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Department monitors public charging costs and promotes home charging access for on-street parking
The Department stated that it monitors the different prices charged by different networks, and models the costs of different charging behaviours, such as whether someone does all their charging overnight on a driveway or entirely on more expensive rapid charging … Read more
Government Response
The government confirms it already monitors charging costs across various channels and will continue to work with HM Treasury to understand cost variance. It also outlines new monitoring for the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023.
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29 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Accessible charge point standard remains unmandated and poorly understood by operators.
However, the Department has not mandated use of the standard. The Motability Foundation told us that two years on from its launch, there are still no charge points in the UK which are fully compliant with the standard. Charge point … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee's conclusion, acknowledging the need for an accessible chargepoint network, and highlights its ongoing work with stakeholders to review the PAS 1899:2022 standard for chargepoint accessibility. Recommendations and proposed next steps from this review are to be confirmed in due course.
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30 Conclusion Accepted
14th Report - Public charge points…
Component availability for accessible charge points hindered by international supply chains.
One of the barriers identified by charge point operators is the availability of components for an accessible charge point. Both the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) and the Motability Foundation report that most operators do not produce … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee, acknowledging the need for an accessible chargepoint network, and commits to continuing to monitor and drive efforts to harmonise with emerging international standards for chargepoint accessibility. The department is also reviewing the PAS 1899:2022 standard, with recommendations and next steps to be confirmed.
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Government Response AI assessment · 31 of 5 classified
Accepted 19
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 4
Deferred 4
Not Addressed 3
Total 5 recs + 26 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
4 Sep 2025 To committee Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the updated response on the Treasury Minute response on the 14th Report of Session 2024-25, Public charge points for electric vehicles, 14 July 2025
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1 Jul 2025 From committee Letter to the Interim Permanent Secretary of the Department for Transport relating to the Treasury Minute Response on PAC's 14th Report of Session 2024-25, Public charge points for electric vehicles, 30 June 2025
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11 Feb 2025 To committee Letter from the Second Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport relating to the oral evidence session held on 20 January 2025, follow up on potential fire risk of electric vehicles, 31 January 2025
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