Why the EV Charging Crisis Needs a Peer-to-Peer Revolution

Why the EV Charging Crisis Needs a Peer-to-Peer Revolution

It’s no secret: owning an electric car in 2025 still feels harder than it should be.

You’ve done the sustainable thing. You’ve invested in an EV. But you’re spending way too much time wondering where you’re going to charge — and if it’ll even be available when you get there.

Despite the headlines, we don’t have an EV problem — we have an infrastructure problem. And it’s time to rethink how we solve it.

🚧 The Public Charging Experience Is Still Broken

Let’s look at the numbers:

• There are now over 1.9 million EVs on UK roads

  Source: SMMT, 2024

• But as of May 2024, there are only around 59,000 public charge points nationwide

  Source: ZapMap, May 2024

That’s 1 public charger for every ~32 EVs — and that ratio gets worse in busy towns, tourist areas, and city centres.

It’s not just about quantity either. Ask any EV driver and they’ll tell you:

• Chargers are often broken or blocked

• Apps and networks are fragmented

• Prices vary wildly

• Queues are becoming the norm

🔁 The Current Model Can’t Scale Fast Enough

Governments and energy providers are investing heavily in new infrastructure. That’s good news — but even optimistic plans can’t keep pace with adoption.

The UK government has pledged 300,000 public chargers by 2030 — that’s just over 6x more than today, in less than 6 years.

Source: UK Government, EV Infrastructure Strategy

But EV adoption is growing even faster. Some estimates put us at 8 to 10 million EVs by then.

So unless something changes, the maths still doesn’t work.

🤝 A Peer-to-Peer Charging Revolution

Here’s a radical idea that isn’t actually radical: use what already exists.

There are hundreds of thousands of home EV chargers sitting idle every single day — on driveways, in garages, in car parks.

If even a fraction of those chargers were made bookable by others, we’d instantly create a dense, local, affordable charging network without waiting years or spending billions.

This is where peer-to-peer charging comes in.

Much like Airbnb helped people unlock value from spare bedrooms, this model lets people:

• Host their home charger when it's not in use

• Earn passive income from something they already own

• Support drivers in their own community

All while scaling the network organically, fast, and affordably.

🌍 Charging That’s Local, Human, and Resilient

Peer-to-peer charging isn’t just convenient — it’s a mindset shift:

• It decentralises infrastructure

• Builds community resilience

• Keeps profits with local people

• Encourages smarter, shared resource use

Instead of relying on big rollouts that may take years, we can empower individuals to solve the problem today.

With Airvolt, we’re building this peer-to-peer charging network from the ground up. One driveway at a time.

Whether you’re hosting or charging, you’re part of a bigger solution.

Are you interested in hosting your charger with Airvolt? Register now