🌍 Pioneers of Change: Innovation and Global Lessons Powering the UK’s EV Future

Keynote – EV Charge Live 2025, Birmingham, UK

In September 2025, I had the privilege of delivering a keynote at EV Charge Live 2025 in Birmingham — a new industry initiative dedicated to the future of electric mobility.

My talk, “Pioneers of Change: Innovation and Global Lessons Powering the UK’s EV Future,” explored how the UK can accelerate its transition to electrified transport by learning from global best practices, scaling innovation across the ecosystem, and aligning technology, business models, and policy.

The Intersection of Mobility: A Worldwide View

We are living through one of the most transformative moments in transport history. Global EV sales have surged from 0.55 million units in 2015 to over 16 million by 2024, and the pace continues to accelerate.

This shift goes beyond passenger vehicles. Electrification of logistics and heavy transport is now just as critical as personal EV adoption — and it’s where the next wave of disruption will occur.

Yet growth remains uneven. While some markets sprint ahead, others face infrastructure, policy, and consumer-confidence barriers. Understanding those dynamics is essential to building scalable EV ecosystems.

Insights from North America

The U.S. is driving momentum through the NEVI program, a $5 billion federal initiative aiming for 500,000 public charging points by 2030. However, progress is shaped by unique challenges:

• Vast geography and long-distance travel patterns

• Fragmented state-by-state policy environments

• Infrastructure rollout gaps in rural and highway corridors

Despite these, clear national direction and strict nationwide rules have helped accelerate large-scale charging deployment.

Europe & UK: Scale With Interoperability

Europe, meanwhile, is focused on density, interoperability, and coverage gaps. As of 2024/25, leading markets include:

• 🇳🇱 Netherlands – ~108k public charging points

• 🇩🇪 Germany – ~84k

• 🇫🇷 France – ~73k

• 🇬🇧 United Kingdom – ~37k

• 🇳🇴 Norway – ~30k

The EU’s AFIR regulation mandates high-power chargers every 60 km along TEN-T corridors, targeting 3.5 million public charging points by 2030.

For the UK, the national goal is 300,000 public charging points by 2030, up from just ~28,500 in 2021 — a steep growth curve driven by incentives, ultra-fast deployment, and Charge Point Operator (CPO) scaling.

The UK EV Landscape: Promise Meets Pressure

The UK is entering a pivotal phase. Rapid charger deployment is reshaping the grid, with a strong shift toward 100kW+ DC chargers. But challenges remain:

• Grid constraints and slow high-voltage upgrades

• Infrastructure gaps in rural areas and motorways

• Affordability issues and uneven access to home charging

• Consumer confidence around range, battery life, and resale value

Overcoming these requires coordinated action — from government, industry, utilities, and technology providers.

From Global Insights to UK Action

What can be learned from global practices?

• National programs (like NEVI) show how unified approaches drive scale.

• Decentralized funding (as used in the UK) offers flexibility but requires stronger coordination.

• Binding EU regulation demonstrates how long-term clarity can coexist with local adaptation.

The key is combining these approaches: clear targets and funding with flexible, localized execution.

Innovation as the Catalyst

Innovation is the bridge between ambition and reality. Smart charging, bidirectional energy (V2X), and vehicle-to-grid technologies could deliver £3.5 billion in annual savings by 2030, according to the UK National Grid.

Equally important is innovation in business models, financing structures, and partnerships — all of which will be crucial to accelerating rollout and adoption, particularly in heavy-duty transport and logistics.

Final Thought

“The future of mobility is not built in isolation. It is built together.”

We conducted a scenario analysis for the growth rate of eTrucks in the EU and UK to observe the potential changes in the graph if we focus on the areas that are highlighted during the keynote. By 2030, we could have 1 million eTrucks on the roads instead of 250,000.

Each region has a unique chance not only to spearhead EV adoption but also to develop a mobility ecosystem that is more intelligent, resilient, and globally connected. By drawing lessons from global leaders, encouraging innovation, and coordinating with stakeholders, we can drive a future where electrified transportation forms the foundation of a sustainable economy.