Optimal Charging: Public Charging

A closed-room forum for senior public sector leaders driving infrastructure at scale

Last year, over 160 senior decision-makers—from local authorities, energy majors, investors and charge point operators—convened in partnership with Islington Council.

In July 2026, we reconvene at a more critical moment.

The UK’s EV transition is accelerating—but infrastructure delivery remains uneven and insufficient.

• At the beginning of 2026, there were 88,513 electric vehicle public charging pointsacross the UK, across 45,242 charging locations, with growth exceeding 25% year-on-year
• Yet the system remains materially off-track against the 300,000 by 2030 requirement
• Rural and county networks are structurally underbuilt, creating both political and economic risk
• Recent policy shifts are removing planning friction and redirecting capital toward on-street and underserved deployment
• Meanwhile, local authority fleet and capital cycles are misaligned with decarbonisation timelines, putting stated targets at risk

The constraint is no longer policy ambition. It is execution capacity.

Optimal Charging: Public Charging 2026 brings together those responsible for delivery—local government leaders, central policymakers, infrastructure investors, and private sector operators.

A working forum for those accountable for outcomes.

• Closed-door strategic sessions on funding, grid access, procurement and delivery models
• Case-led discussion from authorities and operators already deploying at scale
• Direct engagement between public sector decision-makers and capital providers
• High-value, time-efficient networking with peers facing identical delivery constraints

• Four years to 2030: the window for corrective action is narrowing
• Policy tailwinds are in place: execution risk now sits with delivery bodies
• Infrastructure gaps are investable opportunities—particularly beyond major urban centres
• Practical intelligence: leave with deployable strategies, not theoretical frameworks