New research addresses concerns over the use of Electric Vehicles
Published: 27 April 2026
As more UK drivers switch to electric vehicles (EVs), experts have shared research that improves understanding of the behaviours and charging demand of EV drivers, that can help with a more efficient and equitable deployment of public charging infrastructure and improve the overall driving experience.
As more UK drivers switch to electric vehicles (EVs), experts at the University of Glasgow have shared research that improves understanding of the behaviours and charging demand of EV drivers, that can help with a more efficient and equitable deployment of public charging infrastructure and improve the overall driving experience.
With the ongoing conflict in Iran sending fuel prices rocketing across the world, and the appeal of reduced carbon emissions and lower running costs, the amount of people looking to electric vehicles as a solution has grown substantially. However, adoption has reached a bottleneck due to the limited availability of public chargers, especially for those drivers who live in flats without home charger availability.
Understanding the usage patterns of existing public chargers and the factors influencing them is necessary for planning and expanding the charging infrastructure further in the UK.
Experts at the UofG’s Urban Big Data Centre (UBDC) conducted research into analysed usage patterns and driving factors across Greater London, Greater Manchester, and the Central Belt of Scotland. A second study simulated the driving and charging behaviours of private EV drivers across the UK, incorporating psychological and financial preferences, and covering both inner- and inter-city trips.
‘Exploring the Influencing Factors of Public Electric Vehicle Charger Usage in Great Britain’ used charging session data from public EV chargers in the UK, collected between December 6, 2023, and March 31, 2024, to analyse usage patterns and driving factors in three case regions: Greater London, Greater Manchester, and the Central Belt of Scotland.
Findings show significant regional differences in public charger usage patterns. In Greater London, the higher prevalence of flats limits access to home charging, leading to greater reliance on public chargers, particularly for nighttime charging near residential flats. There is also a high preference for faster charging options and quick turnaround times, likely driven by high parking fees and the intensive travel schedules caused by traffic congestion in London.
In Greater Manchester, drivers rely more on public chargers located in areas densely populated with flats, whereas areas with higher densities of houses or terraces show lower reliance on public chargers. Whilst in the Central Belt of Scotland, demand for public chargers is particularly high near motorways, likely due to the significant volume of long-distance commutes between major cities in the region.
Overall, these findings highlight the importance of developing region-specific strategies for charger deployment to support a sustainable, efficient, and equitable charging network.
‘Using agent-based models to simulate the electric vehicle driving behaviours in Great Britain’ found that despite concerns about the limited driving range of EVs, enroute charging is less necessary for drivers with short to medium distance trips in the UK - resulting in limited demand for more enroute public chargers.
While previous studies have used Agent-Based Models (ABMs) to explore patterns of EV usage, many studies rely on hypothetical networks or city-scale road systems. This limits their ability to capture long-distance, inter-city travel, which has been a key concern given EV's range limitations and limited charging infrastructure.
This research presented a validated ABM that simulates the driving and charging behaviours of private EV drivers across Great Britain, incorporating diverse psychological and financial preferences, and covering both inner- and inter-city trips.
The results provide insights for the future planning of public charging infrastructure in the UK. To support long-distance travel and reduce range anxiety among EV drivers, the authors recommend that future public charger deployment should prioritise the installation of fast, en-route chargers along major motorways and inter-city routes to enable efficient charging and quick turnarounds.
While urban areas generally have denser charging networks and more public charger than inter-city locations, further strategies are needed to optimise locations to improve charger network efficiency and enhance the accessibility. This includes the deployment of on-street chargers in high-demand areas, such as near residential flats and workplaces, to offer less frequent but routine charging options for users without access to home chargers.
Research lead Professor Qunshan Zhao said: "Over recent years, interest in electric vehicle adoption has rocketed due to multiple rounds of energy crisis in the Europe because of the Wars in Ukraine and Iran, and the underlying net-zero transition agenda. This can only be good news for the environment and people’s finances. Recent figures show that Britain’s existing electric and hybrid cars are saving about two days’ worth of fuel. However, this is still not enough, and many drivers are understandably deterred by worries over the efficiency and availability of the charger network.
"We hope that this research shows that the overall picture is a positive one, and that with the right investment into the public charging infrastructure, anxiety of drivers can be further reduced. It particularly highlights the need for a varied response across regions, which all have different requirements. Combining both research, we can simulate and predict the future EV charging demand with different EV uptake percentage in different types of households, and that will provide a robust guidance for a multi-phase EV charging infrastructure planning and investment plan in the next decade.
"We would also highlight the ‘Just’ transition of the future investment and deployment of the EV public charging infrastructure. Private sectors will operate their EV charging stations in high EV charging demand areas to meet their commercial targets, but public chargers will also need to enable trips from deprived areas and benefit every potential EV driver, similar to the public transport."
Both studies were undertaken by the UBDC PhD student Zixin Feng, along with Professor Qunshan Zhao and Professor Alison Heppenstall, all based at the University of Glasgow.
First published: 27 April 2026