The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has released figures showing just one new public charger was built for every 53 electric cars sold last year.
Its figures show 368,617 plug-in cars were registered in Britain last year while just 6,949 standard chargers were installed.
The trade body says mandating rollout targets for infrastructure and regulating service standards would give drivers certainty they can always find a working, available charger. Infrastructure must be built ahead of demand else poor provision risks delaying the electric transition.
It calls the forthcoming budget as an opportunity to implement measures that support the transition. Reducing VAT on public chargepoint use from 20% to 5% in line with home charging, which it believes would ensure more affordable access for all and underpin a fair net zero transition. Government should also review proposals to graft a Vehicle Excise Duty regime designed for fossil fuel cars onto zero emission vehicles (ZEVs).
“The automotive industry is already delivering growth that bucks the national trend and is poised, with the right framework, to accelerate the decarbonisation of the UK economy,” said Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive. “The industry and market are in transition, but fragile due to a challenging economic outlook, rising living costs and consumer anxiety over new technology. We look to a Budget that will reaffirm the commitment to net zero and provide measures that drive green growth for the sector and the nation.”
(Picture – Yay Images)
