You might be surprised to hear that there are still quite a lot of free electric vehicle (EV) charging points around in the UK.
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Out of more than 59,000 charging devices on Zapmap, we found that ' as of April ' 2,354 were free to use. Put another way, that's around 4% of all EV charging points that won't incur a cost. So where are they all?
Well, we've broken down some of the figures for you. Below you'll see:
To locate these charge points across the country select 'free to use' within the payment filter in our EV charging app or desktop map.
The chart below shows the number of free EV charging devices by geographical area.
As you can see, some areas have far more free devices than others. The three areas with the highest number of free EV chargers are the South East with 438, Scotland with 286 and Greater London with 268.
Many of Scotland's free charging points are mostly accounted for by ChargePlace Scotland (backed by Transport for Scotland). Around 150 of the operator's 2,800+ chargers are still free to use.
At the other end of the scale, you can see the Isle of Man with 10 free devices, the Channel Islands with 11, and Northern Ireland with 14.
There are some other noteworthy points too. Greater London's 268 free chargers comprise only 1.4% of its total number of charging devices, reflecting the high concentration of paid-for on-street chargers and rapid devices in the capital.
So you've found your free EV charging point ' but how fast are the chargers? Well, the chart below displays free charging devices split out by highest connector speed.
As the chart makes clear, most free EV charging points are fast (destination) chargers. There are 1,986 of them, making up more than 84% of free chargers.
In contrast, most slow chargers are now on-street chargers, the vast majority of which incur a cost. This would explain why there are only 323 free slow chargers across the UK (around 14% of total free devices).
Interestingly, there are 45 rapid chargers around the country that are still free, representing almost 2% of the total number of free chargers. While you can find these around the country, they are concentrated in Scotland, especially south of Glasgow. Here some local authorities are still providing free charging as an incentive for drivers to switch to electric, supporting their broader clean air and environmental objectives.
It is unlikely that this will continue indefinitely and an increasing number of these chargers are beginning to incur a cost. In Scotland, many cities and local authorities have already started to introduce a fee on the ChargePlace Scotland chargers. For example, in November , there were 283 rapid chargers around the UK that were still free to use, representing just over 7% of the total number of free chargers at that time.
We've broken down the number of free devices by location type. So which sort of places can you expect to find free EV charging points?
As you can see, public car parks have the most free EV devices, with 433. You'll also find 359 free devices at dealership forecourts, and 306 at hotels and other accommodation around the UK.
Let's look in a little more detail at some of the categories where you'll find the highest number of free devices.
As you might imagine, many attractions offer free charging as a way of encouraging customers to visit. This is often referred to as destination charging.
If you take a look through Zapmap and filter by location type, you'll find cafes, restaurants, pubs, museums, garden centres, theatres, zoos, National Trust properties and leisure centres that provide free charging.
Many hotels and B&Bs offer free charging to visitors, perhaps more than have registered. What's more, Charity ZeroNet provides charge points for the hospitality and leisure sector. Around 15% of the network's more than 350 charging points are free to use.
Taken together, public, retail and workplace car parks have by far the highest number of free EV charging devices, at 975. As with accommodation and also supermarkets, many retailers use free charging as a way to attract loyal customers.
Yes, it's free at some supermarkets. Supermarkets with free EV charging points include Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi. Pod Point is the network provider and free charging is mostly on its fast 7/22kW chargers. Morrisons, Waitrose and Asda also have EV charging points, but they aren't free to use on a pay-as-you-go basis.
As of November , the fast 7/22kW Pod Point chargers at Tesco are no longer free to use. Indeed, customers now need to pay for these fast chargers, as has always been the case with the rapid charge points.
Yes, some of them do and this is something you'll need to bear in mind when locating free chargers. Many free charge points have some kind of access restriction (e.g. devices that are 'customer only', for example).
Another consideration is that you'll need to ensure you have the appropriate RFID card or app to start a charge and, while the charging might be free, there may well be some parking charges to pay.
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Before you head off to grab your free charge ' make sure you check Zapmap and, in particular, the user comments to get insights on all the details of a particular charge point.
Plus, if you'd like to know more, you can hear Zapmap Co-founder & COO Melanie Shufflebotham speaking to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours programme about free EV charging points in the UK.
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Free charging stations, highly sought after by electric car drivers, are becoming increasingly rare. Finding free charging points that are available and in good working order is not always easy. Have you heard there might be free stations near you? That could be true, but we recommend checking the access conditions for this 'free' charging. You might encounter:
Another option is charging your car at home, ensuring a dedicated charging point for your electric vehicle! Find all the information on home electric charging.
Chargemap is your best ally for gaining an overview of all the free charging points available in Europe. All you have to do is to visit the charging station map and activate the 'Free stations only' filter. You can refine your search further by filtering stations based on plug type, power output, and many other parameters.
There is a detailed screen for each charging pool giving key information about access, connectors etc. The Community tab gives you useful feedback from other drivers who have topped up there. Don't forget to consult it before charging so that you don't miss out on any helpful hints and avoid unpleasant surprises.
Go to Chargemap app to locate the free charging points closest to your home and everywhere in Europe!
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Whether you're off for your weekly shop or going on a quick spending spree, many major retailers offer EV charging facilities ' sometimes for free. Now that's a convenient, time-saving solution!
Today, many supermarkets provide access to charging facilities in their car parks. It's easy to spot them as they are clearly signposted and mapped out by markings on the ground.
Access to free charging at supermarket charging points is usually reserved for shoppers. The terms of use are sometimes given at the charging points. Typically, you need to be in possession of the shop's loyalty card, but this is not systematic. In some cases, depending on the retailer, free charging may be subject to a time limit.
You can easily check access information and consult feedback from other EV drivers directly on your Chargemap app.
For example, here is a non-exhaustive list of supermarkets offering free charging stations in Europe:
In the UK, the charging network Pod Point operates most free charge points in supermarket car parks.
Supermarkets are not the only stores to cater for the charging needs of EV drivers. In some countries, such as France, Germany and Belgium, you can browse around Ikea while charging your EV for free.
Ikea provides free access to some of the charging stations, mostly fast (up to 22 kW), sometimes rapid (50 kW).
Please note that some shopping centres, cinemas and other venues may offer this type of service to their customers. So think about finding out before going out '
With the massive surge in the range of EVs and PHEVs on offer, carmakers and car dealers are providing free charging stations for their customers. Carmakers include:
As with the major retailers, the terms for accessing and using these facilities can vary from one dealer to the next.
You may also come across free charging stations in towns and cities that are keen to promote e-mobility. Most of these charging points are located in public car parks and more rarely in streets. Generally speaking, it doesn't cost anything to park in a place reserved for charging EVs.
The percentage of free charging points varies considerably from one country to the next. For example, the national Scottish network ChargePlace Scotland offers free charging at a broad selection of its charging points.
More and more hotels and restaurants are now offering their customers a charging service. It's usually free, but it's a good idea to check this out beforehand.
If you are going on holiday with your EV, this may be a key criterion when selecting your hotel accommodation and restaurants during your travels. You can set off on a day trip and make full use of the charging facilities while you lunch or dine or when you chill out at your hotel.
For Tesla owners, topping up at Tesla Destination Charging charge points located at hotels, restaurants and in car parks is usually free.
For more information, please visit Ac Ev Charging Station.