Robert Nash, CTO of Petalite, the next generation electric vehicle (EV) charging engineering company
Approaching 2030, to meet both government and consumer demands around electric vehicle (EV) adoption, we are likely to see a much greater push to rapidly scale up EV charging infrastructure, making it more reliable and more accessible for a greater number of drivers.
While sustainable transport policies must include public transport, cycling, and other zero emission vehicles, it is also vitally important to recognise and support the challenges involved in switching from ICE vehicles to EVs.
To put this into context, as of the 1st May 2025, there were around 79,000 public EV charging points, meaning that for the government to meet its 2030 goals of at least 300,000 charge points, an additional 221,000 will need to be installed in the next five years. With nearly 1.5 million electric vehicles (EV’s) currently on the UK roads, and 52% of drivers saying they are likely to choose an electric vehicle for their next car, changes are needed to meet the needs of current and future EV drivers. With the ZEV mandate banning new petrol and diesel car sales by 2030 (and hybrids by 2035), EV numbers on UK roads are set to rise sharply. However, research suggests that inadequate charging infrastructure within the UK is hindering EV adoption, creating ‘charging anxiety’ and discouraging petrol and diesel drivers from making the switch.
Lessons learned
Countless charge point technology lessons have been learnt so far, including the need for more reliable and rapid charge points. Occupied stations, technical difficulties, and payment issues are among the public charging issues that over four fifths (83%) of UK EV drivers have struggled with in the past 12 months.
As EV adoption grows, the 32.8% of UK households (9 million) who do not have access to a driveway means an increase in the number of people reliant on the public network. This has created ‘charging anxiety’ with drivers concerned about when and where they will be able to charge their vehicle.
To further compound the issues affecting EV drivers, those relying on public charge points currently pay 20% VAT compared to the 5% charged for domestic energy, highlighting huge price discrepancies. It is clear that for the industry to succeed things needs to evolve, both in terms of technology and regulation.
Recent research shows public EV charging satisfaction is around 64%. Charge point operators see clear potential to improve the driver experience—boosting loyalty and revenue.
Investment
Within the market, charge point operators (CPOs) are looking to their hardware manufacturers to lead the transition and deliver the technical innovation that the industry needs in order to meet the government ambition and driver expectations. To assist with the EV uptake that the government is targeting, CPOs will be required to improve reliability, charger availability, charging speed, user experience, scalability and modularity, installation and maintenance, as well as access to grid connection across their sites.
To help meet the government’s expectation, and to encourage more people to switch to EV vehicles, investment in more reliable rapid and ultra rapid DC charges will also be required. A long-term fix is needed.
Delivering an effective solution
To help solve expansion problems and to address the pain points being experienced Petalite has developed and patented a future-proof technology solution, sinusoidal direct current which simplifies AC-DC conversion. This technology ensures that power from the AC three phase supply from the grid is balanced through a single conversion stage, performing power factor correction, rectification, galvanic isolation and current regulation. This enables next generation power distribution capabilities to provide a better charge point to site power ratio and give the best possible charging speed available to drivers. This solution has the opportunity to truly overcome current barriers in the EV transition and deliver future proofed EV charging infrastructure.
To reduce ‘charging anxiety’ and to accelerate the rollout of EV adoption drivers require simplified technology, reliable charge points and scalable infrastructure that can easily grow in line with demand, all of which the Petalite solution has the ability to provide.
Deciding the rate at which infrastructure needs to be scaled up at is a major challenge CPOs are facing. Whilst a growing network of charge points will encourage more drivers to switch to EV’s, in order to justify investing in more infrastructure, CPOs will need to feel confident that the demand is already there. Having future-proof technology that consistently works, optimises site power and considers user experience will help to demonstrate the value of driving an EV, and should help to encourage drivers to make the switch. In-turn CPO’s will be motivated to invest in infrastructure, creating a virtuous circle and a more harmonious balance between supply and demand.
This article appeared in the June 2025 issue of Energy Manager magazine. Subscribe here.
