Lack of chargers leaves EV sales in the slow lane

A chronic shortage of charging points is denting demand for electric vehicles (EVs) – plunging Britain’s car industry into crisis.

There are now more than 71,000 public chargers in the UK, with an average of 57 being added every day.

The Department for Transport described it as ‘a fantastic achievement’.

But analysis by the Mail reveals Britain needs to build around 120 a day to reach the goal of having 300,000 public chargers by 2030.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said the country ‘urgently needs a national strategy and binding targets’.

A shortage of charging points, which has fuelled ‘range anxiety’ among motorists worried about where they can top up batteries, has been highlighted as one of the reasons why demand for EVs has dwindled. Drivers have also been put off by the price of EVs, which are typically more expensive than petrol and diesel alternatives.

That means car makers look set to miss stretching sales targets set by the Government, leaving them facing punishing fines. The quotas and the threat of financial penalties have caused some manufacturers to question their future in Britain.

The owners of Vauxhall are debating the future of plants in Ellesmere Port and Luton. Nissan says quotas risk doing ‘irreversible’ damage, putting jobs and billions of pounds of investment under threat.

And Ford says the Government’s zero-emission quotas are ‘unworkable’, piling pressure on ministers to relax the rules and boost demand for EVs through incentives.

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: ‘For more people to go electric we need ample public charge-point provision so drivers are confident to make the switch. Britain urgently needs a national strategy and binding targets for charge-point rollout.’

A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘We want to further accelerate the rollout, a further £200m was committed in the Budget last month.

‘The 300,000 figure was an estimate, rather than a target, and independent bodies, including the climate change committee, state the rollout of infrastructure is on track.’

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