EV revolution threatened by charger crisis

DRIVERS will not switch to electric cars if Britain’s charging network is not bolstered, campaigners warn.

People want to change from petrol and diesel-powered cars but are put off by electricity costs and the lack of charging points, according to the AA.

The warning raises questions about the Government’s plans to outlaw sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, with the motoring group’s boss claiming people will simply ‘ hang on’ to older cars.

The AA found that just one in 50 drivers use electric vehicles. Nearly three- quarters said they want to switch, with almost 2m planning to within two years, the poll found.

But AA president edmund King said many will not do so because of the lack of charging points and called on the Government to expand their availability. he said: ‘For those without home- charging, we need to see a cut in VAT on onstreet charging to make it more affordable.

‘Without these changes to the infrastructure, the risk is more people will hang on to older combustion engine cars long past 2030.’

Under 9,000 public electric charging devices were installed last year. Publicly available electric charging devices rose from 28,375 in January 2022 to 37,055 this month.

Nearly a third of charging points are in London, with Westminster alone having more than Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham combined.

Data suggests there are now 30 electric vehicles for every charge point, compared with 16 at the start of 2020.

Writing in The Times, former transport secretary Geoff hoon warned that people will not buy electric vehicles if they cannot charge them.

Labour transport spokesman Louise haigh criticised the Government for ‘leaving whole areas of the country behind with no clear strategy on how to ramp up the necessary charging infrastructure’.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We want to maximise the opportunities available to switch to electric vehicles, and we have an expanding charging network which has increased by 31pc a year for the last three years.

‘A driver is never more than 25 miles away from a rapid chargepoint anywhere along england’s motorways and major A-roads.’