Jeep highlights the plug-in hotspots

THE Outer Hebrides is the best place in Britain for plug-in car owners to charge their vehicles, claim researchers for Jeep.

Analysis of the latest Government data revealed there is currently one charging device for every 15 plug-in cars registered in the UK.

EV and plug-in hybrid owners living in the Outer Hebrides are better off though, with the Na h-Eileanan Siar local authority having one charger for every 2.13 cars.

Other areas where EV drivers benefited most were Coventry (2.3 cars per charger) Fermanagh and Omagh in Northern Ireland (2.5), Wandsworth in London (2.6) and Anglesey (2.8) in Wales.

Jeep surveyed 2000 UK motorists – 1600 petrol, diesel and hybrid car owners and 400 who have either a plug-in hybrid or pure electric car. The iconic American marque found the average motorist drives just 26 miles per day while 60 per cent of petrol and diesel car owners drive fewer than 20 miles a day.

It also emerged that 79 per cent of motorists think the Government should be investing more in improving public charging infrastructure and 76 per cent said there should be a greater investment in on-street charging where motorists don’t have off-street parking.

The study, carried out via OnePoll, also found one in five petrol and diesel drivers support the introduction of road pricing to offset the loss in fuel duty revenue.

This research follows the launch of the Jeep Renegade 4xe, a plug-in hybrid that uses a battery motor to give a zero-emission range of up to 26 miles.