Charger shortage is slowing down rollout of electric cars
JUST one public charging point is being installed for every 50 electric cars sold, figures suggest.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders warned the shortage of electricity infrastructure was undermining the take-up of more environmentally friendly vehicles.
Points are more likely to be installed in big cities where it is lucrative. There are also planning issues and there has been a shortage of lithium and components as well as technicians.
Data from the trade body reveals strong demand for electric cars, fuelled by sky-high petrol and diesel prices, with sales soaring by nearly a quarter last month.
But the SMMT said growth was being undermined by the slow rollout of public points for drivers who need to charge their vehicle’s battery on-thego or who don’t have a driveway.
In the first nine months of this year just over 5,000 standard street or car park charging points were installed while 250,000 new plug-in vehicles were sold.
This meant just one standard charging point was fitted for every 50 of these cars that were bought.
The same nine-month period also saw just 1,239 new rapid charging points being installed.
Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said buyers of electric and other plug-in vehicles needed to know they can switch from petrol and diesel “safe in the knowledge they will be able to charge – and charge affordably – when needed”.
His comments came as the SMMT warned new car sales were motoring to their lowest level since 1982.
Despite a recent pick-up, it forecasts that 1.56 million cars will be registered in 2022.
This is down from 1.65 million in 2021 and below even the 1.63 million in 2020, in the depths of the Covid crisis.
A total of 134,344 new cars were sold last month, up 26.4 per cent on October 2021, when sales fell sharply.
Petrol-engine vehicles accounted for just under 57,000, but sales of diesel cars slumped 9.7 per cent to only 6,347.
The trade is predicting a pick-up next year.The Government’s proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles from 2030 is forecast to drive sales back to 1.8 million in 2023.