The next wave of EV charging will be powered by smarter, traceable clean energy

The UK’s EV transition is moving quickly. Public charging devices have passed 86,000, rapid and ultra-rapid chargers are growing at more than 20% year on year, and more than a million EVs are now on UK roads.

Last week’s UK Budget nodded to that progress. Grants are no longer propping the sector up, EVs are embedded in the UK’s long-term transport and decarbonisation plans.

But the next phase of growth won’t be driven by charge-point numbers alone. The real unlock sits upstream in the energy system.

EV operators need power that is stable, affordable and transparently renewable. Without that, the UK risks building infrastructure faster than it can reliably power it.

Today’s supplier model still forces charge-point operators (CPOs) to absorb wholesale electricity volatility, battle slow connection processes and rely on “renewable tariffs” that lack genuine traceability. It injects risk into a sector that needs long-term certainty.

UrbanChain exists to remove that friction. Its renewable energy operating system connects energy users directly to certified renewable generators through private energy markets, giving operators predictable pricing, real-time matching and full visibility of the energy they consume.

This is the shift from theoretical renewables to verifiable renewables, now a decisive factor in public-sector tenders, investor confidence and corporate sustainability reporting.

Traceability alone isn’t enough. As EV infrastructure scales, the next frontier is timed clean energy.

Public charging is unpredictable by nature, but large parts of the system are highly flexible: fleets, depots, workplace charging, overnight charging, batteries and onsite solar. This is where the real value moves:

• Charging when renewable generation is abundant
• Avoiding the most expensive system peaks
• Relieving strain on constrained networks
• Cutting the true cost of energy for CPOs and fleets

UrbanChain’s model is built for this. Operators and fleet partners can respond to clean-energy and price signals in near real time.

Fleets can shift into lower-cost overnight windows. Depots can blend solar, batteries and grid supply intelligently. CPOs can access renewable energy matched to the right moment, improving utilisation and strengthening investment cases.

For infrastructure funders, this “shape-shifting” is significant. Cheaper, verifiable overnight energy improves ROI, de-risks rapid charging deployment and smooths capital allocation by reducing volatility — reinforced by the Budget’s signals on grid modernisation and clean-infrastructure investment.

Traceability answers what you power EVs with. Smart timing answers how you power them sustainably, profitably and at scale.

Believ — one of the UK’s fastest-growing and most strongly backed charge-point operators — plans to deliver at least 30,000 public chargers nationwide. Its model, built around council collaboration, community benefit and fair access, aligns with an energy system designed for transparency and local value.

UrbanChain will power Believ’s expanding network with renewable energy traceable down to individual generators, prioritising local supply wherever possible. Just as important, Believ gains a stable, intelligently timed energy profile — a clear break from the volatility that has historically restricted public charging.

This combination of clean, time-optimised energy and predictable cost underpins faster, more resilient rollout.

UrbanChain sees this partnership as a blueprint: connecting renewable generation, EV charging, social housing, schools and municipal assets into joined-up regional clean-energy ecosystems.

For councils, it accelerates LEVI delivery and wider net-zero commitments. For communities, it supports cleaner air and fairer access to affordable local energy. For operators, it provides operating conditions that finally match the scale of the UK’s EV ambitions.

The EV rollout is moving from early adoption to mainstream expectation. To meet that moment, the energy layer behind the charging network must evolve.

UrbanChain delivers that foundation today — traceable, intelligently timed and financially stable. And Believ is showing what happens when operators stop waiting for wider reform and take control of their energy instead.

The next wave of EV charging won’t be defined by how many charge points we build, but by when those chargers consume energy. Smartly timed, verifiable clean power unlocks lower costs, better utilisation, reduced grid strain and stronger investor returns.

That is the energy layer UrbanChain is building behind the UK’s charging network.