A BRADFORD location has recently helped the UK reach an important milestone.

The UK has installed its 10,000th rapid electric vehicle charger, according to a leading device mapping provider.

New data from Zapmap suggests that the 10,000th charge point was installed at Sedbergh Leisure Centre in Bradford as part of the GeniePoint network of charging stations.

It now means that there are more than 10,000 rapid and ultra-rapid charging devices installed across 5,000 locations nationwide.

These high-output chargers can top-up an electric vehicle quickly, with some of the speediest devices able to take a compatible EV from 10 to 80 per cent in under 30 minutes.

The power rating of charge points being installed is increasing, according to Zapmap, with devices of 100kW or more becoming ‘increasingly prevalent’.

At the end of 2020, there were just 788 devices capable of delivering 100kW of power or more in the UK.

As of December 2023, this number has risen to 4,504 devices making up 45 per cent of the total number of high-powered devices installed in the UK.

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said: “Hitting the 10,000 high-powered charging devices mark is really important for electric car drivers across the country.

“Having surpassed 8,000 rapid and ultra-rapid devices as recently as May 2023, it’s fantastic to see this latest milestone arrive just in time for Christmas.

“The availability of more than 5,000 charging locations with rapid or ultra-rapid chargers spread right across the country, many of which are hubs, will give drivers confidence to drive electric wherever they go during the festive period.”

This milestone doesn’t account for slower devices which can be a better option for longer stops in an electric vehicle.

As of November 2023, there were 53,029 individual chargers of all speeds placed at 30,853 locations.

Last month, 1,513 new electric chargers were added to Zapmap’s charging database.