The growth of electric vehicles has made one particular form of electrical training especially valuable, as those who learn to install and maintain electric vehicle charge points find their skills are in great demand.
Such skills may be especially useful when it comes to the use of ultra-fast chargers, which enable motorists to get charged extremely quickly for maximum convenience, both to themselves and whoever is next in the queue.
An Encouraging Report
The Automobile Association’s monthly EV Recharge Report has indicated that the latest trends could have a particularly positive effect on demand for electric vehicles and charger points, as charging has become cheaper just as petrol prices have risen.
Covering May 2025, the report stated that last month saw the cost of charging up fall by 2p per kWh, which coincided with petrol and diesel costs increasing due to the conflict in the Middle East.
However, the report noted, even before the surge in oil and gas costs, the cost per mile for domestic charging was 5.5p less for electric vehicles, even as pump prices hit a four-year low.
The report went on to lament the fact that the government has not been doing more to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles across the UK.
For those who do buy such vehicles, the ease of finding places to charge up quickly is growing. This is set to happen increasingly in low-income and underserved areas, following a change in government funding policy.
A Policy Shift
Earlier this month, the government scrapped a £950 million fund established by the previous Conservative administration aimed at helping fund the installation of chargers at home, in favour of a £400 million investment in on-street chargers.
Explaining the reasoning for the shift, a Department for Transport spokesperson stated: “Since the fund was announced in 2020, the market has changed significantly.”
The fact that £550 million has been clawed back by the Exchequer may not go down too well with the EV charger industry, but the fact is that the number of chargers is continuing to grow, including in areas like Greater Manchester that have hitherto been lagging behind.
The Gap Between Big Cities And Their Neighbours
However, there is still much catching up to do in and around Manchester. The latest official figures for local authorities show that the City of Manchester is now in the top 20 per cent for charger provision, with 421 chargers in place, but only four other councils in the metropolitan county are in the top 40 per cent (Wigan, Trafford, Stockport and Salford).
Worse still, two Greater Manchester councils, Bury and Tameside, are in the bottom 20 per cent for coverage.
This sort of pattern is repeated across urban areas, with big city councils being better-equipped than many of their suburban neighbours.
For example, Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Sheffield and 26 of the 32 London boroughs are in the top 20 per cent. However, two of Liverpool’s immediate neighbours (Halton and Knowsley) are in the bottom 20 per cent, as are two of Glasgow’s neighbours (East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire).
Other local authorities in the north west of England in the bottom 20 per cent include St Helen’s, Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn, Burnley, Pendle and Ribble Valley.