North’s EV Charger Crunch: 47% Lack Driveways

New data shows nearly half of northern homes need street-side EV charging.

13 Jun 2025

Almost half of homes across northern England don’t have driveways, making it harder for residents to charge electric vehicles at home. That is the key finding from a new data project by Transport for the North (TfN) and Ordnance Survey.

The research analysed 6.4 million properties using advanced mapping tools. It found that 47% of northern households lack off-street parking, well above the national average.

To close this gap, TfN has launched an interactive map showing where driveways are scarce and public chargepoints are located. The idea is simple: help councils in places like Cumbria, Northumberland, Cheshire, and Greater Manchester target the right streets for future chargers.

This data is not just for maps. It feeds into TfN’s electric vehicle strategy, helping predict future demand and spot weak points in the power grid. Early estimates suggest the region may need up to 240,000 public chargepoints by 2030, a tenfold increase from today.

For councils, this means stronger bids for government EV funding. For private operators, it means avoiding underused chargers. For electricity providers, it is a guide to smarter grid upgrades.

As the UK races toward an electric future, this project shows how local data can drive national change. By turning a postcode into a charging hotspot, it helps make the road to net zero a little smoother.