The Future of Electric Vehicle Charging Points and Groundworks
Graeme Blakey - 18th September 2024
Originally published: 18th September 2024 | Last updated: 4th September 2026
The future of EV charging is not only about installing more chargepoints; it is about building the electrical and civil infrastructure that allows charging sites to expand safely, reliably and without repeated excavation. For homes, workplaces, fleets, retail sites and public car parks, the groundwork beneath and around the charger can be just as important as the charger hardware itself.
At DGS Limited, our role is focused on the groundwork and enabling infrastructure around EV installations: excavation, duct routes, bases, reinstatement, drainage coordination and preparing sites so qualified electrical specialists can install and commission the charging equipment. As EV demand grows, we expect more projects to be designed with future expansion in mind rather than installing one isolated chargepoint at a time.
You can learn more about our EV charger electrical groundwork and our wider groundworks services across the North East.
What Is Changing Most Quickly in EV Charging Infrastructure?
- Public charging numbers are still rising. Department for Transport statistics recorded 121,171 public EV chargers in the UK on 1st July 2026.
- More vehicles need charging access. DfT recorded 2.148 million licensed zero-emission vehicles in the UK at the end of March 2026.
- Building design now needs EV infrastructure planning. Approved Document S provides guidance for chargepoints and cable routes on relevant new buildings and major renovations in England.
- Public charging has stronger consumer requirements. The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 cover areas including contactless payment, price transparency, reliability, helplines and open data.
- Groundworks increasingly need spare capacity. Duct routes, draw pits, feeder-pillar positions and bases can be planned so future chargers can be added with less disruption.
The UK Charging Network Is Already Large — and Still Expanding
Department for Transport data shows how quickly charging infrastructure is becoming a mainstream part of transport planning. As of 1st July 2026, there were 121,171 public EV chargers in the UK. The same transition is visible in the vehicle fleet: at the end of March 2026, there were 2.148 million licensed zero-emission vehicles, up 29.6% from March 2025.
Those figures do not mean every site needs rapid charging or major power upgrades. They do show why property owners, developers and businesses increasingly need to think about charging as part of wider site infrastructure rather than as an afterthought.
Why Groundworks Matter to an EV Charging Installation
A charger needs a safe electrical supply, but that supply often has to travel across a driveway, car park, yard or landscaped area before it reaches the charging bay. That makes route planning a civil-engineering and groundworks issue as well as an electrical one.
| Groundwork element | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Trenching and ducting | Creates a protected route for electrical cabling between the supply point and charger location. |
| Draw pits and access points | Can make cable installation, inspection and future additions easier on longer or more complex routes. |
| Charger or feeder-pillar bases | Provide a stable, correctly positioned foundation for equipment and protective hardware. |
| Car-park and footway reinstatement | Restores safe access after underground infrastructure has been installed. |
| Drainage coordination | Prevents new trenches, bases or kerbs from creating unwanted low points or obstructing existing drainage. |
| Protection measures | Bollards, kerbs and layout choices can help protect chargers from vehicle impact where required. |
Approved Document S Has Changed How New Buildings Are Planned
Approved Document S is the Building Regulations guidance in England for infrastructure for charging electric vehicles. It applies to relevant new residential and non-residential buildings, buildings undergoing certain changes of use, major renovations and mixed-use developments where the Part S requirements are triggered.
The important practical point for groundworks is that the regulations do not only consider the charger itself. They also address cable routes. That encourages developers to think about where future charging equipment can be fed from and how underground routes can be installed before the finished surfaces make later excavation more disruptive.
Future-ready groundwork can be simpler than repeated excavation
If a site expects EV demand to increase, it can be sensible to coordinate spare ducts, access points and future connection locations during the original groundworks. The electrical designer still needs to confirm capacity and cable requirements, but the civil route can often be planned ahead.
The Electrical Design and the Groundworks Must Be Coordinated
We prepare the physical site, but the electrical system must be designed and installed by suitably competent electrical professionals. The charger rating, incoming supply, protective devices, earthing arrangements, load management and any distribution-network requirements all affect the final route and equipment layout.
That is why trenching should not begin from a sketch that has not been coordinated. Before excavation, the project team should confirm:
- the proposed charger positions and number of bays;
- the electrical supply point and cable route;
- required duct sizes and separation from other services;
- feeder-pillar, distribution or transformer requirements where relevant;
- crossings beneath roads, paths or landscaped areas;
- drainage channels, gullies and existing underground services;
- future expansion routes and spare capacity where planned.
Public Charging Sites Need More Than Power
The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 place consumer-facing obligations on operators of public chargepoints. Current government guidance includes requirements around pricing transparency, contactless payment for relevant chargers, payment roaming, a free 24/7 helpline, open data and a network-average reliability requirement of 99% for rapid public chargepoints rated at 50kW and above.
For groundworks, these rules matter because public charging sites often need additional cabinets, communications equipment, payment hardware, signage and safe pedestrian routes. A good layout must work for drivers, maintenance teams and site operators as well as for the electrical infrastructure.
Public charging rules do not apply to every private charger
A home wallbox, workplace charger or private fleet charger may sit under different requirements from a charger offered to the general public. The correct regulatory framework should be checked for the specific site rather than assuming one set of public-chargepoint rules applies everywhere.
Rapid and Ultra-Rapid Charging Can Change the Scale of the Groundworks
Higher-powered charging can require larger electrical infrastructure, more substantial distribution equipment and greater coordination with the electricity network. On some sites, the civil work can include larger equipment bases, longer cable routes, ducts for multiple circuits, service crossings and space for future grid equipment.
It is not accurate to say every rapid-charging site needs a new substation. Some sites have sufficient capacity or use different network solutions. What matters is that the electrical capacity assessment is completed early enough for the groundworks to reflect the actual equipment that will be installed.
Drainage Still Matters in EV Charging Areas
Car parks and charging bays are hard-surfaced environments. Adding concrete bases, islands, kerbs or equipment compounds changes the way surface water moves. We consider existing falls, gullies and drainage routes so the new infrastructure does not create standing water around chargepoints or pedestrian access routes.
Where wider car-park reconstruction is involved, sustainable drainage measures may also be relevant. England's 2025 national SuDS standards promote approaches that slow, store, infiltrate and treat runoff rather than simply moving water downstream as quickly as possible.
Why Existing Underground Services Must Be Located Before Digging
EV infrastructure frequently involves trenching across established sites where electricity, gas, water, drainage and communications services may already be present. HSE guidance is clear that excavation work should be planned around underground services, using plans and suitable locating equipment before digging.
For us, this means the safest cable route is not always the shortest line between the electrical intake and the charger. Existing utilities, drainage, foundations, access requirements and reinstatement can all influence the route.
What We Expect to See More of by 2030
The ZEV mandate continues to increase the share of new cars and vans that manufacturers must register as zero emission. Current targets rise to 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans by 2030. As the vehicle fleet changes, we expect charging work to become more integrated into property upgrades, commercial refurbishments, fleet depots and new-build infrastructure.
Groundwork trends we expect to become more common
- larger banks of chargers rather than single isolated units;
- spare ducts and future connection locations installed from day one;
- more feeder pillars and distributed electrical infrastructure across large car parks;
- greater coordination between charging, drainage, lighting, barriers and accessibility routes;
- upgrade projects where existing car parks are opened and reinstated in phases;
- stronger emphasis on maintainability and safe access to underground routes.
How We Approach EV Charger Groundworks
Step 1: Confirm the agreed route and equipment positions
We work from the coordinated project layout so civil work matches the electrical design.
Step 2: Identify underground constraints
Existing services, drainage, structures and access routes are considered before excavation begins.
Step 3: Excavate and install the required civil infrastructure
This can include trenches, ducts, bases, draw pits and other agreed enabling works.
Step 4: Coordinate with the electrical installation
Cable routes and equipment foundations must be ready for the electrical contractor's installation and testing programme.
Step 5: Reinstate the site
We restore affected surfaces and make sure drainage and access still work as intended.
Planning an EV Charging Project in the North East
Whether you are preparing one private charging bay or a larger commercial scheme, early coordination between electrical design and groundworks reduces avoidable rework. At DGS Limited, we can handle the enabling civils and site preparation while working alongside the relevant electrical specialists.
See more about DGS Limited or contact our team to discuss excavation, duct routes, bases and reinstatement for an EV charging project.
Planning New EV Charging Infrastructure?
Send us the proposed charger locations, electrical route information and site layout. We can help plan the groundwork around the actual installation rather than treating the civil work as an afterthought.
