As Versinetic celebrates its fifth anniversary this November, the company finds itself at a pivotal moment in the electric vehicle revolution. Founded at a time when the UK had just 744,823 plug-in vehicles representing 2.3% of all cars, Versinetic has witnessed extraordinary transformation.
Today, over 2.7 million plug-in cars populate UK roads, with battery-electric vehicles accounting for 65% of that total. Yet with just five years remaining until 2030 – and the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requiring 80% of new car sales to be zero-emission by that date – the industry faces its most critical phase yet.
The charging infrastructure has expanded to meet this growth, with 86,798 electric vehicle charging points across the UK by October 2025, up from 28,460 at the end of 2021. But numbers alone don’t tell the full story of innovation. We’ve gathered insights from industry authorities across the EV charging ecosystem to understand what breakthroughs have truly moved the needle over the past five years, and what developments will be essential to achieving our collective 2030 ambitions.
The infrastructure intelligence revolution
Dynamic load management: making more from less
For Dunstan Power, Director at Versinetic, the past five years have been defined by one critical innovation: intelligent load management systems. “Grid capacity has become a key limiting factor for new charging installations, particularly in urban areas where substations were never designed for the charging demands we’re now placing on them,” Power explains. “Dynamic load balancing solutions enable operators to deploy substantially more charging points within existing grid constraints, often doubling the number of units possible on a single electrical supply.”
This advancement addresses a fundamental infrastructure mismatch. Power notes that such systems are “making kerbside charging viable for the 9.3 million UK households without driveways whilst avoiding costly grid upgrades that can reach hundreds of thousands of pounds per site.” It’s the difference between waiting years for grid connections and deploying charging infrastructure now – a distinction that could determine whether the UK meets its 2030 targets.
Trevor Palmer, Founder of EV Blocks, echoes the urgency around grid connections as a priority for the next five years. “I’d love to see faster grid connections – so chargers get power when the groundworks are ready, not years later,” he states, highlighting how infrastructure delays continue to hamper deployment speed despite technological advances.
The standardisation breakthrough
From fragmentation to seamless compatibility
Five years ago, EV charging was a patchwork of incompatible systems. Richard Earl, R&D Director at EO Charging, identifies standardisation as the most significant breakthrough. “Five years ago, the quality of charging functionality across charging stations and EVs was extremely variable. We also had to contend with Type1/Type 2 connectors and CCS/Chademo,” Earl recalls. “Today basic ‘AC 61851 functionality over Type 2’ and ‘DC 70121 over CCS’ is a given and it simply works. Pretty much all chargers and all vehicles now work together which wasn’t the case five years ago.”
The impact extends beyond technical specifications. Earl remembers when new vehicles would become the “problem vehicle that everyone was talking about.” Today, that conversation never happens – a quiet revolution that has removed a major barrier to mass adoption.
Trevor Palmer at EV Blocks frames this as the evolution from a patchwork of systems to “a more unified, open network, the start of a charging experience that just works, simple, smart and universal.” Standards like Plug & Charge (ISO 15118) and OCPP have transformed the charging experience from frustrating incompatibility to seamless operation.
Looking ahead, Earl wants to see these same principles applied to the next generation of technology. “I want to say the same thing about 15118+OCPP. I want to see that there are no 15118 hardware issues, no security issues as chargers & EVs navigate TLS handshakes, plug and charge working seamlessly, data shown in portals and apps and vehicles performing V2G to balance the grid.” He acknowledges that “15118+OCPP is extremely complex and easy to get wrong. Therefore, getting that experience seamless will be a major win for customers and the industry.”
The user experience evolution
From hardware to holistic experiences
For Adam Calland, Global Marketing Director at Parkopedia by Arrive, the biggest breakthrough hasn’t been about charging hardware at all. “The biggest breakthrough has been the shift from charging as an isolated activity to charging as an integrated, intelligent part of the driving experience,” Calland observes. “In the past five years, we’ve seen the rise of connected charging ecosystems – where vehicles can locate, access, and pay for charging in real time.”
This transformation reflects a maturing industry that understands infrastructure is about more than installing chargers. Reuben Elman, Marketing Lead at Formula Space, has witnessed this shift firsthand: “In the last five years working closely with charge point operators across the UK & Europe, we’ve seen the shift from the rollout of single-point chargers bolted to the ground to complete, branded, user-focused charging environments that are destinations in and of themselves.”
Elman emphasises that “the real breakthrough has been the sector recognising that on-site amenities, uptime, security and user experience are indispensable elements of infrastructure design and that utilisation is the #1 metric for consideration in the design and delivery of charging spaces.” From modular vending solutions to intelligent wayfinding and construction systems designed for upgradability, charge point operators have fundamentally changed how they approach site development.
Calland’s vision for 2030 extends this thinking further. “By 2030, I’d love to see a world where charging is completely frictionless – where every driver, in any country and in any vehicle, can simply plug in and go, with transparent pricing, reliable infrastructure, and automated payments built into the car.” He adds that “with the rise of agentic AI, it’s no longer about finding a charger on a map – it’s about having your car think for you, accurately predicting your needs, acting with autonomy, and simplifying the entire journey.”
The rapid deployment of DC fast charging
Infrastructure at unprecedented speed
Guillaume Allio, Co-Founder of Chargeviz, points to rapid DC fast-charging infrastructure rollout as the biggest breakthrough. “Across Germany, the UK, France, and even smaller markets, DC fast chargers have been deployed at unprecedented speed,” Allio notes. He cites impressive milestones: “By 2024, every motorway service area in France had DC fast charging. From late 2023 to today, the number of DC fast-charging points has doubled from 80K to more than 160K” across Europe.
This deployment has been driven by heavy investment from multiple players. Allio observes that “in some countries, like the Netherlands, grid operators are even struggling to keep up with the pace of deployment. In no time, driving EV became easy in most part of Europe with fast chargers everywhere.”
The UK has seen similar growth, with rapid and ultra-rapid chargers increasing from 1,261 installations in 2021 to 4,353 in 2024. This infrastructure expansion has fundamentally changed the practicality of EV ownership for long-distance travel.
The accessibility and economics challenge
Bridging the charging divide
Not all progress has been evenly distributed. Vicky Edmonds, Chief Executive at EVA England, highlights the persistent divide between those with and without private charging access. “EVs can present a significant opportunity to lower the costs of owning and running a car, saving households around £1,000 a year currently – and likely to be more over time as new technologies such as vehicle to grid start to take off,” Edmonds explains. “However, this is only the case for those households who have a driveway and can take advantage of cheaper charging costs.”
The statistics are stark. “Only half of EV drivers without a driveway find their EV cheaper to run than their previous petrol or diesel car (compared to over 90% with access to private charging),” Edmonds notes. “That charging divide – between those who have and those who have not – is becoming the biggest barrier holding up the transition to electric, and urgently needs addressing across policy makers and the industry.”
Edmonds sees hope in emerging technologies: “New charging technologies currently breaking through, that allow households to access cheaper charging – such as cross pavement technologies and charge sharing technologies – have real potential to break down this divide.” She welcomes the Government’s announcement of a £25m cross pavement fund and steps to ease planning burdens, but emphasises that “even these technologies don’t work in all cases and for all households.”
Her call to action is clear: “We need far more emphasis on measures that will bring down what are currently very high public charging costs – through regulatory reforms that reduce chargepoint energy costs, equalisation of VAT rates between private and public charging, and incentives that encourage greater use of dynamic or smart pricing for these public chargepoints.”
Guillaume Allio shares this concern about pricing transparency and fairness. “I’d love to see simpler, more transparent pricing, specifically, location-based and dynamic tariffs at all DC sites so costs are fair and consistent for both drivers and operators,” Allio states. “There’s huge room for optimisation as electricity prices swing throughout the day, often dropping when solar generation is high. Most DC charging happens during those daylight hours, so aligning pricing with real-time grid conditions would make the system more coherent and efficient.”
Future-proofing through modularity
Building for tomorrow’s technology today
Reuben Elman at Formula Space warns against short-term thinking that could undermine the industry’s long-term success. “Looking ahead to 2030, the CPOs that will thrive will be those that build upgradability into sites now, not just those that can rollout the fastest,” Elman argues. “The headlines are about the fastest deployment methods, hitting the 2030 target and ensuring every area is covered for drivers, but the industry could suffer with the cost of short-term thinking.”
The consequences of neglecting future-proofing are significant. “Every time charger technology, grid strategy and brand design changes, CPOs are facing spiralling refit costs and weeks of downtime that wipe out profits,” Elman explains. “The smarter move is investing in upgradability and modularity from the outset, from site concept. Modular foundation systems, crash protection retention sockets and signage that can adapt as the requirements of infrastructure does. Building in flexibility today will define the most profitable and resilient charge point operators of tomorrow.”
Trevor Palmer at EV Blocks emphasises similar principles in physical infrastructure. By 2030, Palmer hopes to see “simpler, faster site builds – through smarter design and prefabrication that make large-scale rollout achievable.” His company’s focus on universal precast foundations exemplifies this approach, eliminating time-consuming groundworks whilst ensuring installations are ready for future upgrades or equipment changes.
The path to 2030: collective responsibility
Integrated solutions for an integrated system
Power sees the next five years requiring coordinated action across multiple fronts. “By 2030, I hope to see widespread adoption of frictionless charging experiences alongside meaningful Vehicle-to-Grid deployment,” Power states. “Norway’s mandate to outlaw app-only charging demonstrates how regulatory intervention can dramatically improve user experience, and the UK should follow suit with contactless payment as standard across all public chargers.”
The potential of Vehicle-to-X technologies represents more than convenience – it’s essential infrastructure. “Equally important is the realisation of V2X technologies’ potential, transforming electric vehicles from mere transport into distributed energy storage infrastructure,” Power explains. “With regulatory frameworks finally catching up to enable bi-directional charging, EVs can play a vital role in grid stabilisation and renewable energy integration.”
His assessment is both optimistic and urgent: “The funding exists, the technology is proven, and the demand is clear. What’s needed now is coordinated deployment that prioritises both accessibility and intelligent grid integration from the outset.”
Adam Calland frames the collective challenge in terms of ecosystem integration. “The next five years should be about breaking down the final barriers: inconsistent data, fragmented networks, and the uncertainty that still holds some drivers back,” Calland states. “As an industry, we have the opportunity to make charging not just convenient, but invisible – seamlessly integrated into everyday mobility. At Parkopedia, our vision is to help make that future a reality – by connecting cities, drivers, automakers and charging networks into one trusted ecosystem that powers the journey ahead.”
Trevor Palmer’s wish list for 2030 encompasses the full scope of challenges: “Faster grid connections – so chargers get power when the groundworks are ready, not years later. Universal standards – every charger and car working seamlessly together, everywhere. Simpler, faster site builds – through smarter design and prefabrication that make large-scale rollout achievable. If we get it right, charging will feel effortless and the infrastructure will keep pace with demand.”
Looking ahead
As Versinetic marks five years in the industry, the EV charging sector has transformed from a fragmented, technically challenging landscape into an increasingly sophisticated ecosystem. Intelligent load management has unlocked deployment within grid constraints. Standardisation has delivered the ‘it just works’ experience that mass adoption requires. User experience thinking has elevated charging from a necessary inconvenience to an integrated part of the driving journey. And rapid DC deployment has made long-distance EV travel genuinely practical across Europe.
Yet the challenges ahead are equally clear. The economic divide between those with and without private charging access threatens to create a two-tier transition. Grid connection delays hamper deployment speed. Public charging costs remain prohibitively high for many. And the temptation to prioritise deployment speed over long-term flexibility could saddle the industry with costly technical debt.
The next five years will be defined by how effectively the industry addresses these challenges collectively. With battery-electric vehicles already achieving 22.4% market share in 2025 and the ZEV mandate requiring 80% by 2030, the pace of change will only accelerate. Success demands coordinated action: regulatory reform to reduce public charging costs, faster grid connections, universal technical standards, modular infrastructure design, transparent pricing, and Vehicle-to-Grid integration.
As these industry leaders make clear, the technology exists. The funding exists. The demand exists. What’s required now is the collective will to deploy these solutions at scale, ensuring that the charging infrastructure keeps pace with vehicle adoption and that no driver is left behind in the transition to electric mobility. The countdown to 2030 has begun.
Contributors:
• Dunstan Power, Director, Versinetic
• Richard Earl, R&D Director, EO Charging
• Guillaume Allio, Co-Founder, Chargeviz
• Adam Calland, Global Marketing Director, Parkopedia by Arrive
• Vicky Edmonds, Chief Executive, EVA England
• Trevor Palmer, Founder, EV Blocks
• Reuben Elman, Marketing Lead, Formula Space
