Lib Dems: Figures reveal worst places in country to charge an electric car

• Just 372 new “rapid” electric vehicle chargers were installed in the last three months
• 80% of public charging points would take 8 hours to charge small electric car as Liberal Democrats demand more investment needed
• Windsor, Swindon and Stockport the worst places to charge your electric car

Windsor, Swindon and Stockport have the least amount of rapid chargers per electric cars, analysis of official statistics by the Liberal Democrats can reveal.

Electric car drivers in these areas are most likely to be stranded by slower charging points taking at least 13 hours to charge a Nissan Leaf.  Rapid chargers however, take just 30 minutes, and are proven to encourage far more people to switch to electric cars. 

In the local authority area of Windsor and Maidenhead, there are 1,474 electric cars registered in the area for every rapid charging point, the worst in the country. 

In Stockport, there are a staggering 16,568 registered electric cars sharing just 16 rapid charging points. 

Just 372 new “rapid” electric vehicle chargers were installed in the last three months across the UK, as part of 1,553 new chargers installed. This is despite the Conservatives promising to dramatically increase the number of fast chargers.

These same statistics reveal that less than one in five (19%) of all electric vehicles charging points in the UK are so-called “rapid chargers”, whereas nearly  6,000 public charging points fall into the slow bracket (3KW - 5KW).

This year the Conservatives have cut grants available to new electric vehicles.

Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, said:

“Too many electric car owners face the anxiety of being marooned in a car park for hours on end because the government is installing the wrong kind of charging points. 

“The government needs to get on with it now or risk a new wave of electric car owners becoming stranded, or worse still, going back to diesel.

“For all the big talk we have heard from the government at COP26 on electric cars, the reality of their lack of investment shows a completely different picture. 

“Instead of vague words, Liberal Democrats are calling for a cut in VAT on the lowest cost electric vehicles and a massive expansion of rapid chargers, particularly in rural areas.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

The Government cut the Plug-in Car Grant by £500 earlier this year.

Department for Transport - Electric Vehicle Charging Device Statistics July 2021 can be found here. 

Liberal Democrats are calling for:

VAT cuts for cheaper priced EVs from 20% to 5% as well as increased in investment in electric vehicle charging points, particularly in rural areas.

Require all buses, taxis and private hire vehicles to be zero-emission by 2030.

Replace the government’s own current vehicle fleet with ultra-low emission vehicles (electric vehicles or hybrids) by 2022, and encourage the rest of the public sector, including local authorities and the NHS, to set their own targets.