糖心传媒

This month I dive into some trends being accelerated as a result of global events, including EV and domestic solar adoption (with the sun shining as I write in London) and what this means for EV infrastructure for commercial real estate owners and domestic implications.

EV opportunities for commercial real estate owners

The UK鈥檚 shift to electric vehicle adoption continues to accelerate yet charging infrastructure risks constraining slowing growth. Zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) accounted for 23% of new car registrations in 2025, up from 7% in 2020, and battery electric vehicle (BEV 鈥� the majority of ZEV) car ownership has risen eightfold in five years to 1.6 million. The current conflict in the Middle East and resultant swing in fuel prices has prompted a surge in EV sales. In March, EV sales jumped with a , according to SMMT. BEVs accounted for 23% of new car registrations over the course of the month, with plug-in hybrids seeing an almost 50% jump compared to March 2025, accounting for a further 13% and other hybrids another 16%. Not just UK-centric, this shift in favour of electric is being replicated globally with (Reuters) and .

Yet, charging infrastructure has not kept pace and may fall further behind. Public charging points across the UK have tripled since 2021, meaning the BEV to public charger ratio has widened from 11 to 14, potentially signaling a growing structural gap. 

Changes to policy are also reinforcing the growing presence of EVs on UK roads. The ZEV mandate requires manufacturers to reach 33% ZEV sales this year and 80% by 2030, supported by grants of up to £3,750 until 2029. If recent growth rates hold, the UK could reach 7.6 million BEVs by 2030 and more than 17 million by 2035, our scenarios show. Meeting a Norway style benchmark, with the country nearing 100% new car sales being EV, would imply a need for around 213,000 chargers by 2030, including 89,000 rapid devices.

Meeting this need will require an estimated 1,900 acres of land, as we explore in a new report, much of which could be met through grey space, such as disused land or existing car parks. Charging is now a distinct land use, with rising demand for sites that can accommodate rapid and ultra rapid hubs. Analysis of Birmingham and Bristol identified nearly 200 acres of potentially suitable land. Using very broad assumptions, this could deliver around 1,000 chargers. However, the opportunity extends beyond cities, with many strategic rural corridors lacking rapid coverage. Site selection is becoming more technical as operators rely on data to assess commercial viability.

The direction of travel is clear. EV adoption will likely continue to rise, and charging capacity must scale in response. For owners, understanding which assets could support this shift and create new revenue streams is becoming an important strategic question.

Homing in on solar 

Policy direction is now clear, but household behaviour is moving faster. The publication of the confirmed that from 2028 we will see 鈥榮olar panels installed in the majority of new homes, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and strengthening energy security.鈥� With the current energy market volatility, many households are looking to limit exposure to energy bills now with existing homes rather than waiting for regulatory change to take effect.

That shift is only likely to be more visible with plug-in solar expected to reach UK retail shelves in the coming months, mirroring a model long established in Germany. At the same time, Greg Jackson, chief executive of Octopus Energy, . The company has seen a 鈥�50% rise in solar panel sales and 30% rise in heat pump sales, while enquiries about EVs (see above) were up more than a third, and chargers by about a fifth.鈥� 

, around 15,000 domestic solar installations were recorded in March, roughly 3,500 more than in March 2025, with volumes likely to rise further as enquiries convert into installations. Energy security and affordability are now aligned priorities for households, suppliers and policymakers.

However, the generation of energy alone does not deliver optimal outcomes without efficiency. The lowest-cost unit of energy remains the one not used, and fabric performance continues to shape the returns from any low-carbon technology. While the energy efficiency of UK housing has improved materially over the past decade, progress remains uneven. The shows that in 2024, 56% of dwellings achieved an EPC rating of A to C, up from 26% ten years earlier. The government estimated the mean cost of upgrading a home to EPC C to be £7,480 in 2024, broadly consistent with our own estimates at the outset of 2025 of just over £8,000.

Policy sets the direction of travel, but consumers may be quicker to move particularly as they respond to price signals, and as they adopt new technologies. This could lead to greater interest in energy use of homes, including the presence of solar and/or heat pumps and EV charging going forward.

52.5% - Stat of the month

Beyond domestic generation, 2025 was confirmed as a record for renewables in the UK with renewable electricity from Wind, Solar, and Biomass . Already in 2026, records are being set with a new maximum Wind generation , meeting 60% of electricity at the time.