Nearly 10 million people are at risk of being left behind by the EV revolution just because they happen to live in remote parts of England and Wales. These areas continue to be underserved by EV infrastructure yet the Government’s 2035 blanket ban on ICE and hybrids gets daily closer.
At Zapgo, we’re committed to making sure that families and communities in non-urban areas of Britain are able to adopt and charge their EVs easily and affordably.
In this latest op-ed, we will explore how remote parts of Britain can be made EV-friendly, and how Zapgo, through its latest partnership with HeritageXplore, is helping to make a real difference.
Today, the reality of life in non-urban parts of Britain is that families and communities have no choice but to rely on the car as their way of getting around in their everyday lives. With 87% of travel in rural areas being undertaken by car, the lack of EV charging infrastructure poses a real impediment for customers keen to make the transition to EV (2). Recent data from The AA reports that only 14.9% of the country’s chargers are presently found in rural locations, in spite of a 37% increase in chargers in non-urban areas between October 2023 and July 2024 (1). For drivers in rural Britain, these improvements are welcome. The question remains, however, whether these measures are sufficient and compelling enough to instil confidence in individual motorists and families to make the shift to EV adoption.
The lack of EV transport options in the countryside is also having an adverse effect on the opportunities open to rural tourism. With reportedly 4 out of 5 drivers reporting high levels of ‘range anxiety’, drivers are reluctant to travel to parts of the country that are underserved by charging infrastructure (4).
But what if there was a way to ease these range anxieties while also boosting rural tourism? This is precisely where Zapgo’s new partnership with HeritageXplore comes into play.
In October 2024, Zapgo announced a groundbreaking new partnership with HeritageXplore, a UK-based digital platform connecting some of the UK’s most iconic historic houses and heritage sites through a seamless booking experience. Through delivering rapid and reliable EV charging to these cultural landmarks, this partnership aims to boost local tourism to support the iconic historic houses and their local economies. But it also serves an important additional role of serving surrounding communities and ensuring they continue flourish.
With the aim for Zapgo’s chargers to be accessible 24/7 to visitors, they will be available for local families and businesses, as well as to drivers passing through. This will have multiple benefits, reducing range anxiety, ensuring that EV charging is provided in places where it is needed most, and driving EV adoption in places where it was previously not regarded as a viable option for local motorists in local communities.
At Zapgo, we are committed to working with businesses to create sustainable solutions. Through our partnership with HeritageXplore, historic house owners will have the chance to earn revenue from each charge, demonstrating how delivering EV infrastructure is beneficial for businesses, drivers, and the environment. We’re confident that installing Zapgo chargers will not only increase footfall to these historic houses but also help boost local economies through the power of EVs.
To build a green future that benefits the entire country and by addressing motorists’ EV infrastructure needs in remote parts of England and Wales, we’re helping to ease charging anxieties and lower barriers to EV adoption. At Zapgo our goal is to make the transition to electric vehicles accessible for everyone.
The EV transition is under way, and we’re determined to help motorists make the change they desire to make.
If you're a site owner or landlord interested in the advantages of installing EV chargers, please contact us at charging@zapgo.co.uk. We're eager to collaborate with you to provide a fully funded, high-speed EV charging solution that will enhance your site, create a new revenue stream for you, and attract to your premises the growing numbers of EV drivers across the UK.
Sources
1. ‘AA reveals latest UK charging rates and calls for more rural EV chargers’, EV Fleet World, Natalie Middleton (09/2024) AA reveals latest UK charging rates and calls for more rural EV chargers – EV Fleet World
2. ‘Delivering for Rural England – the second report on rural proofing’, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2022): Delivering for Rural England – the second report on rural proofing (publishing.service.gov.uk)
3. ‘Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: April 2024’, Department for Transport(04/2024): Electric vehicle public charging infrastructure statistics: April 2024
4. ‘Depopulation in rural areas’, House of Commons Library (09/2024): ‘Depopulation in rural areas’
5. ‘Is Range Anxiety Still a Concern?’ Charge Smart EV (2024): ‘Is Range Anxiety Still a Concern?’
If you liked this post you may like our other posts as well.
.png)
%20(1).png)
.png)
