When it comes to electric vehicles (EVs) the focus has shifted from questions of how to adopt EVs to how to optimise them. That means the conversation has turned to infrastructure: not just when drivers are charging, but how reliable those charging points are, how predictable, and how easy they are to use.
Drive around any urban centre in the UK and you will see how common EV charging has become. In the past year alone, the number of public charge points across the UK has increased significantly – particularly rapid and ultra-rapid installations that can charge mid-size cars in minutes, not hours. Less than 7,500 were installed in 2021, almost 20,000 were added to the grid in 2024. This includes a greater percentage of ultra-fast, 150kW chargers, which are particularly useful for commercial drivers who can’t take time out of their workday to charge.
Availability, however, doesn’t guarantee a seamless experience, which means that reliability has become a major factor. All the extra capacity and ultra-fast chargers in the world won’t matter if chargers do not function. And, if they do work, they need to operate seamlessly. A key factor is information: if a charge point suffers a fault then that information needs to be conveyed to drivers quickly and seamlessly.
The future of charging infrastructure is both quantity and quality, and this is shaping how drivers engage with charging. They are becoming more discerning, while early EV adoption involved detours, guesswork, and a degree of trial and error, today’s drivers have routines. Drivers choose chargers not just because they are in a convenient place, but for their track record. This means that it is in the interest of infrastructure providers to cultivate a reputation for functioning hardware, minimal downtime and transparent pricing.
Creating trust in chargers
‘Range anxiety’ was one of the key factors holding EVs back for many years, and it hasn’t fully been resolved. Although you’re no more or less likely to run out of fuel when driving an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, the relative newness of electric vehicles means that a small number of people still think that they will just run out of batteries in the middle of a motorway. The more often a driver has a predictable, seamless charging experience, the quicker range anxiety disappears. Part of that reliability is removing friction: drivers need to waste less time troubleshooting charging issues, therefore causing delays. Over time, efficiency at the charge point could lead to increases in fleet efficiency.
Real-time data is an important part of this. Drivers and fleet operators rely heavily on live updates to inform charging decisions on the move. Charging apps and in-vehicle tools increasingly show not just where chargers are, but whether those chargers are available and what speeds can be expected. This information allows drivers to avoid out-of-service or congested charging locations, preventing them from wasting precious time and mileage. The ability to cross-reference this data with historical usage and price information allows operators to make more informed decisions about which charging networks work best for them.
This creates a feedback loop: performance data informs usage patterns and usage drives investment and improvements, which in turn increase usage. Sites that deliver a consistent experience get a good reputation, not just informally amongst drivers but within the management of fleets. Sites with persistent reliability issues can quickly gain a bad reputation however, and even if they are inexpensive and conveniently located they can easily find themselves with few users if they’re not up to par.
The driving factor
This shift goes beyond simple economics. Fleet drivers are becoming more comfortable with EVs and the charging process – it is no longer a novelty to millions of people, and anxieties are quickly evaporating. Drivers are learning which charging sites work for them, which will be busy during certain hours and how to integrate charging into their workday in ways that work for them. This familiarity reduces inefficiencies and contributes to fleet performance.
There are incentives that are starting to influence decision-making. Competition amongst charging point companies means that many are experimenting with loyalty schemes and flexible pricing, meaning that canny drivers can increase savings even further. These schemes are still in their early stages, but they have the potential to drive loyalty in the way that supermarket loyalty cards have done. For fleet operators, these schemes can support strategies to cut costs and encourage preferred companies to offer further discounts.
All this said, not all chargers are created equal. Reliability varies by location and operator, even a good-quality charger that is in near-constant use will suffer wear and tear that will render it inoperable more often than less used devices. The good news is that reliability issues are being addressed: new installations tend to be more reliable, with easier interfaces and greater connectivity (used, for example, for reserving a charger through an app before use). Like any relatively new technology, chargers will only get better with time.
What happens after the new normal
EVs have long ceased to be a novelty, the argument has been soundly won, and all that remains is to slowly transition away from ICE vehicles wherever possible. They are fully normalised at this point, but this doesn’t mean that work isn’t being done to refine and optimise EV infrastructure. While charging points are becoming more common and more reliable, driver behaviour is evolving to meet this new normal.
As the UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate approaches, fleets are increasingly electrifying. The shift from adoption to optimisation is to be expected in any new technology, and it is a positive sign that we are over the initial hurdles of trying to get drivers to accept EVs. It suggests that fleets are beginning to move beyond questions of cost and compliance and into a phase where electric mobility can be assessed on operation terms: efficiency, uptime and performance.
This transition will inevitably result in a better, more efficient charging network, which in turn will mean more informed EV drivers. Range anxiety will soon disappear altogether as EV charging becomes part of every driver’s workflow, one that can be planned for, optimised and reported like any other. This is where the next stage of EV adoption will take us: no longer trying to persuade drivers that EVs can work for them but making charging predictable, practical and efficient at scale.
Tom Rowlands is managing director of global EV solutions at Corpay, including UK brand Allstar.
