LONDON -- As the United Kingdom commits itself to a gasoline- and diesel-free vehicle fleet, one major automaker is predicting that the number of electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations in the country are only a few years away from eclipsing the number of fueling stations.
In a recent analysis, Nissan predicted that EV charging stations would outnumber gas stations—petrol stations in the United Kingdom—by August 2020. The auto and EV manufacturer said the number of fueling stations in the United Kingdom has fallen by more than 75% in four decades, while the number of EV charging points has grown to thousands within a few years.
Nissan was among the first major automakers to introduce a mass-market EV with the Nissan Leaf, which debuted in 2010 in the United States. The Leaf is currently the best-selling EV in the world, with more than 250,000 sold worldwide as of December 2016.
The growth in EVs is coinciding with a decline in U.K. petrol stations, which plummeted from more than 37,000 in 1970 to fewer than 8,500 by 2016. From 2000 to 2016 alone the number of petrol stations fell more than 34%. Heavy competition from supermarkets that have added fuel pumps is one reason behind the steep decline.
In its analysis, Nissan predicts the number of U.K. petrol stations will drop to fewer than 7,870 by August 2020, assuming the same rate of decline.
Meanwhile, the number of EV charging stations—totaling more than 4,100 at the end of 2016—should hit 7,900 by August 2020, Nissan predicts. If EV adoption accelerates, “this crossover could happen a lot sooner,” the automaker said.
“As electric-vehicle sales take off, the charging infrastructure is keeping pace and paving the way for convenient all-electric driving,” said Edward Jones, EV manager for Nissan Motor (GB), London. “Combine that with constant improvements in our battery performance and we believe the tipping point for mass EV uptake is upon us.”
Some traditional fuel retailers in the United Kingdom are attempting to participate in the EV evolution. Most recently, Royal Dutch Shell opened EV charging stations at some of its U.K. sites in 2017, and BP is in talks with unnamed EV manufacturers to partner on a network of charging stations at its retailer sites around the world. And in the United States, Nissan has partnered with several convenience-store chains to add charging stations.
In June 2017, the U.K. government announced that all large fuel retailers and “motorway services”—similar to rest stops or oases in the United States—would be required to add charging stations, Auto Express reported. The new law comes as EV ownership in the United Kingdom grew from 2,254 vehicles in 2012 to nearly 86,000 at the end of 2016. Charging infrastructure has lagged, with the ratio of EVs to charging stations growing from 0.78 to 7.32 in only four years.
Ninety-eight percent of motorway services in the United Kingdom already offer charging stations, according to Nissan, with many offering Level 3 units that can charge an EV battery to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes. Nissan’s newest Leaf model offers 155 miles of range on one charge, which would cover about 90% of average daily commutes, according to the automaker.
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