Daily EV news · UK · 22 July 2026

Councillor Gareth Ratcliffe has asked Powys County Council to consider trialling pavement charging channels or gullies in Hay on Wye, allowing residents to run charging cables from their homes to vehicles parked on the highway without creating trip hazards. Redbridge Council in London has already begun piloting such installations with UK government funding. The channels would enable residents to use cheaper domestic electricity tariffs instead of relying on more expensive public charging infrastructure.

Why it matters: Pavement gullies represent a low cost alternative to dedicated on street charge points in areas where residents lack off street parking, potentially reducing the need for public infrastructure investment while expanding home charging access. The approach could influence how local authorities balance residential charging demand with pavement safety obligations.

Wrexham County Borough Council has installed 243 public EV charging points across urban and rural communities, with further investment planned for 2026 to extend infrastructure into more rural areas. The rollout supports the Welsh Government's target of a net zero public sector by 2030 and aims to reduce transport emissions, the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Wales. The Council is working with partners to expand the network across town centres, residential areas, visitor destinations and rural communities.

Why it matters: The 243-point milestone demonstrates sustained municipal procurement in a Welsh local authority, with the 2026 rural phase signalling continued tender opportunities for suppliers able to serve lower density areas. Wrexham's alignment with the 2030 net zero public sector target indicates a pipeline of further charging infrastructure contracts across Welsh councils.

InstaVolt is expanding its partnership with British Land to deploy 273 ultra-rapid EV charging units across 18 retail park locations in the UK. Five sites are already operational, with the remainder scheduled to go live in the coming months. Two sites under development at Reading Gate and Kingston, Milton Keynes will incorporate on-site battery energy storage to maintain consistent ultra-rapid performance during peak periods and reduce grid demand.

Why it matters: This represents one of the UK's largest retail park charging rollouts, demonstrating how property developers are integrating EV infrastructure at high-footfall destinations. The inclusion of battery storage at select sites offers a procurement model for managing grid constraints while delivering reliable ultra-rapid charging at scale.

GRIDSERVE has launched its most advanced Electric Forecourt at Markham Vale near Junction 29A of the M1, featuring 39 ultra-rapid charging bays equipped with ABB hardware capable of delivering up to 400kW. The site includes 36 bays for passenger EVs, three drive-through bays for larger vehicles such as electric trucks and coaches, and three accessible bays, with compatible next-generation vehicles able to add more than 200 miles of range in under 10 minutes. This is GRIDSERVE's fifth Electric Forecourt and is described as one of Europe's most powerful public charging facilities.

Why it matters: The deployment of 39 high-power chargers at a strategic M1 location signals continued investment in ultra-rapid infrastructure to serve both private and commercial fleets. Procurement teams and CPOs will note the use of ABB's latest 400kW hardware and the site's capacity to accommodate HGVs and coaches, reflecting growing demand for depot-scale public charging.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a six month removal of the 5 per cent VAT on household electricity bills from October, funded by £850 million from scrapping the ID cards scheme. The move will benefit existing EV owners who charge at home but widens the cost gap for the nine million UK households without driveways, who already pay four times more to charge via the public network taxed at 20 per cent VAT. Industry experts warn the measure amplifies the VAT penalty for around a third of UK households reliant on public infrastructure.

Why it matters: The policy deepens the financial divide between home and public charging, potentially dampening demand for public network expansion and making the business case harder for charge point operators targeting kerbside and destination sites. Procurement teams may face weaker utilisation forecasts in areas with high proportions of street parked vehicles.