Rural drivers are hit by the lack of electric car chargers

Rural drivers are hit by the lack of electric car chargers as they have to drive 13 times further than motorists in London to reach one, report finds

• The Government has committed to rolling out 300,000 public chargers by 2030 

Electric car owners in rural areas have to drive thirteen times further than drivers in London for a charging point, a new report has found.

Rural counties in England have just one electric car charger for every ten miles of road compared to one every three-quarters of a mile in the capital.

The research found a huge disparity in the frequency of plug-in points in rural regions compared to towns and cities.

And as of March this year, just 2 per cent of vehicles registered in these areas were plug-in electric – the lowest ratio in England.

It means rural motorists face having to drive further to find a connector, making electric vehicles less practical for many.

Electric car owners in rural areas have to drive thirteen times further than drivers in London for a charging point, a new report has found (Stock Image)

Although rural drivers are more likely to have room at home to install a charger, they face having to shell out up to £1,500 to do so.

The report, by the County Councils Network, sparked fresh concern that some regions are being left behind in the transition to EVs.

The number of plug-in vehicles in rural counties has risen dramatically over the last five years, from 70,337 in 2019 to 385,761 as of March 2023.

However, with over 18 million vehicles on the road in these areas, it represents just 2.1 per cent of the total vehicles bought.

This is significantly less than London, at 4.6 per cent.

Despise this, councils covering largely rural areas have delivered just 5,500 extra publicly available chargers over the last two years, taking the total to 13,300.

It means there is just one plug-in point for every 9.5 miles in these regions.

However, in London there is one charger for every 0.7 miles and across England’s 25 biggest cities there is one for every 3.7 miles.

In London there is one charger for every 0.7 miles and across England’s 25 biggest cities there is one for every 3.7 miles (Stock Image)

The Government has committed to rolling out 300,000 public chargers across the UK by 2030. But only 37,717 were built in England as of July this year.

Around 43 new chargers are coming on stream every day, when those delivered by councils and the private sector are combined.

To meet the 300,000 target, about 110 need building daily.

Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak delayed the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to 2035 after the Mail campaigned for the move.

CCN climate change spokesman Sam Corcoran said: ‘As this analysis shows, whilst huge improvements have been made, much more needs to be done in county areas [to install chargers].’

The Department for Transport was approached for comment.

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