A SHORTAGE of electric vehicle chargers in parts of the UK risks slamming the brakes on the green car revolution, The Sun on Sunday can reveal.
While drivers in London benefit from one power source for every six EVs, in other areas some 42 motorists must battle over each public outlet.
The shock divide has led to angry scenes, with some plug points now being monitored by security.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to ban all petrol and diesel motors by 2035 as part of the Government’s zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate.
But the lack of facilities — particularly outside the capital — urgently needs rectifying first.
Forecourt spats have even erupted as drivers vie to recharge their eco-friendly cars.
Britain’s biggest motorway service provider, Moto, has brought in marshals to patrol chargers at sites in Exeter, Rugby, Warwickshire and Wetherby, West Yorks.
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “Drivers are interested in switching to EVs thanks to an ever-growing range of new models and potentially cheaper running costs.
“But turning this interest into uptake requires greater confidence in our charging network.’’
There are an estimated 1.1million electric cars in use on our roads, an increase of more than 50 per cent in just a year.
Under targets announced by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the Government wants 300,000 public power points in place by 2030 to help drive the EV rollout.
Zapmap, which compiles charging data, says 16,600 were installed across the nation in 2023, up some 46 per cent on 2022.
But that still only brings the UK total to 53,209 and, if that annual rate continues, we will only hit just over half of the 300,000 target.
More than a third of existing EV chargers — 18,396 — are located in the capital.
The regional data is based on Zapmap’s stats for the period up to November 30.
New chargers do become available daily.
Motorparc data from 2022 shows London is home to 122,831 plug-in vehicles, which means there is one public charger for every six.
But in the North West, where the DVLA says EV ownership soared by 214 per cent between 2020 and 2021, there are 143,807 EVs but just 3,435 public charging points.
This means some 42 cars are battling to share each one. Availability is also poor in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The region is home to 85,433 EVs, but has just 2,738 public chargers — meaning there is one for every 31 drivers.
And in the North East, there are 15,480 EV owners sharing access to 1,479 chargers — one for every ten.
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski told The Sun on Sunday there needs to be urgent levelling up.
He added: “For those people wishing to move to electric, there should be equal opportunity across the country for availability of these charging points.”
Many EV owners use chargers installed at home.
But there is a fear that a majority of those unable to power up at their own property, or who need to make long journeys, could struggle to find public facilities.
The latest AA price report found off-peak ultra-rapid charging is an average 1.5p a mile cheaper than petrol.
And at 6.07p a mile, taking power from a domestic supply is well below half the cost of the more traditional fuel.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: “Drivers want reassurance that things will be OK, which they will.
“We need to talk up electric vehicles and the benefits they offer.
“They are a far cheaper option than a petrol or diesel car, and with each electric vehicle that rolls off the production line, safety is improving.
“Electric vehicles are among the safest on the road and they increasingly boast some of the most cutting-edge technology on the market.
“Plugging in at home will remain the cheapest way to run an EV, and it’s still cheaper per mile to recharge at the fastest speeds during off-peak hours than filling a petrol car.”
Fast chargers, often found at motorway services, can recharge a typical electrical car in just a couple of hours — much faster than others you may find in public areas.
Varying types of power source charge vehicles at different speeds.
Some claim to do the job in as little as an hour.
But during busy times some have still seen queues of up to six hours.
Free electricity charging points fell from 5,715 in 2022 to 3,568 this year.
They make up fewer than one in ten public chargers on Britain’s roads, compared to one in five a year ago.
This month, train operator ScotRail announced it was abolishing all of its free EV power points at stations from January.
Tesco was the UK’s biggest provider of free points but it stopped the service in November of last year.
According to the RAC, it now costs an average of 70p per kWh to rapidly charge on a pay-as-you-go basis, up from an average 45p in May 2022.
FairCharge, the national campaign to make the switch to EVs accessible and affordable for all, is calling on the Government to cut VAT on electricity bought at public chargers from 20 per cent to five per cent.
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder and Zapmap chief operating officer, believes the move towards EVs will continue in 2024.
She said the UK was now home to 10,000 of the fastest rapid and ultra-rapid charging points across 5,000 separate sites, adding: “The availability of charging locations spread right across the country, many of which are hubs, will give drivers confidence to drive electric wherever they go.”
But until the national public charger rollout improves, motorists outside London are likely to remain at the back of the queue.
As Mike Hawes adds: “More public charge points are required across the country.
“We need binding targets on charge point provision and a VAT cut on public charging.”
