As the UK EV charging market continues to mature, insights from Anne Buckingham (Chief Commercial Officer) and Stuart Douglas (Chief Operating Officer) of Amplify EV, with DWF's Ewen Cairns (Director) provide a clear view of how the sector is evolving.
Amplify EV, co-founded in 2025 by Buckingham and Douglas, brings together experience across the full EV infrastructure lifecycle – from grid connections and design through to operations and maintenance. Their perspective reflects a market moving beyond early-stage deployment into a phase defined by performance, commercial discipline and delivery risk.
These themes are closely echoed in the legal and commercial structuring work being undertaken by Ewen Cairns, Director at DWF, who advises charge point operators (CPOs), local authorities and investors on EV charging concessions and wider energy infrastructure projects.
“Quality over quantity” – operational performance now drives the market
From Stuart Douglas’ operational standpoint, the key shift is towards reliability, uptime and user experience, rather than simply expanding the number of charge points.
This aligns with broader industry trends, where attention is increasingly focused on network performance and customer outcomes.
Anne Buckingham reinforces this from a commercial perspective:
- clients are prioritising proven delivery and long-term performance;
- investors are focused on sustainable revenues and operational certainty.
Ewen Cairns is seeing this translate directly into project documentation and negotiations. Concession agreements are evolving to include:
- more granular service level regimes tied to availability and maintenance;
- clearer operational obligations and performance reporting;
- robust enforcement mechanisms where standards are not met.
As projects mature, the focus is no longer simply on installation, but on ensuring assets perform reliably over the life of the concession.
“Grid is the gating factor” – connection risk shaping project timelines
A consistent theme from Stuart Douglas is the need for a sharper focus on grid connections and energy management, reflecting the practical realities of delivery.
Grid constraints continue to present a critical challenge:
- lengthy and uncertain DNO processes;
- potential requirement for reinforcement and substations;
- increasing cost exposure at early stages.
Anne Buckingham has highlighted the impact that wider economic and political uncertainty has had on project progress and timing.
Ewen’s experience advising on these projects demonstrates that grid risk is now one of the most heavily negotiated elements of EV infrastructure contracts. In practice, this is leading to:
- clearer allocation of connection responsibility between authority and operator;
- expanded relief event regimes for third-party delays;
- phased delivery models aligned to grid certainty rather than fixed rollout obligations.
Flexibility in concession models – reflecting a more disciplined market
Anne Buckingham has noted that the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure sector has experienced a challenging period, even as longer-term policy support remains.
Stuart Douglas has also emphasised the importance of flexibility across supply chains and delivery structures.
This aligns with a broader market shift toward greater capital discipline and consolidation.
Ewen is seeing these pressures play out in negotiations with local authorities, particularly where traditional concession models are being tested against market realities. Key trends include:
- movement away from blanket rollout obligations toward phased or conditional deployment;
- increased flexibility to defer or remove non-viable sites;
- more detailed termination and compensation mechanisms to preserve commercial viability.
The emphasis is now on structuring arrangements that are not just ambitious, but realistically deliverable.
Policy certainty vs delivery reality
Anne Buckingham has observed that, despite a period of uncertainty, government commitments are continuing to emerge and private sector confidence is returning.
This is supported by the broader policy framework, including:
- the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate driving demand;
- ongoing government funding initiatives;
- planning reforms intended to accelerate infrastructure delivery.
However, as Ewen highlights, the key issue for projects is how policy ambition translates into bankable, legally robust structures.
This is reflected in a growing focus on:
- change in law provisions;
- economic rebalancing mechanisms;
- alignment between grant funding conditions and contractual obligations.
Integration across the value chain – reducing delivery risk
A defining feature of Amplify EV’s approach is its integrated model, spanning design, connection, installation and operation.
Both Anne Buckingham and Stuart Douglas stress the importance of coordination across these components to ensure successful delivery.
From a legal and contractual perspective, Ewen is seeing a parallel shift:
- greater emphasis on single-point responsibility or coordinated delivery structures;
- detailed allocation of interface risk between contractors, operators and authorities;
- increasingly sophisticated technical and operational schedules.
The more complex the infrastructure, the more critical it is to align responsibilities across the value chain.
Conclusion: from rollout to infrastructure maturity
The perspectives of Anne Buckingham and Stuart Douglas highlight a sector moving into its next phase – one characterised by discipline, performance and long-term asset management.
From DWF’s standpoint, and through Ewen Cairns’ work advising across EV infrastructure projects, this shift is clear:
The market is transitioning from rapid rollout to a focus on deliverable, financeable and operationally robust infrastructure assets.
For stakeholders across the sector – whether CPOs, local authorities or investors – success will depend on ensuring projects are:
- grounded in realistic delivery assumptions;
- supported by robust contractual structures;
- flexible enough to adapt to evolving policy and market conditions.
This article is part of a follow-up series exploring key takeaways from All-Energy 2026.
Look out for our insights in collaboration with Re-Power, Ion Ventures, and Luminous Energy, where we’ll take a deeper dive into sector-specific developments.
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