Electric car charging infrastructure in the UK is falling short of government-set targets, according to research conducted by the BBC.
Just over a tenth of the recharging points needed in the UK have been built so far. The BBC found that just 704 of the 4,700 expected to be installed by the end of the year are in place, while two-thirds of towns with a population over 150,000 do not have any public charging points.
The Department of Transport said it plans to install 9,000 points by 2013, with grants already handed out to some towns and regions to help them develop as ‘Plugged-in Places’ under a scheme of the same name.
According to the broadcaster, experts think that there will be 8,600 electric cars will be sold in the UK by the end of the year, with a target ratio of 1.8 cars for every public recharging point. That would mean that there would need to be 4,700 recharging facilities before 2012.
Delays in the creation of a public charging infrastructure have been caused at a local level by difficulties in laying power cables.
While public charging points are not necessary to run an electric vehicle, many people believe that the availability of such facilities will help ease ‘range anxiety’ and help boost EV sales.
David Martell of recharging point firm, Chargemaster told the BBC: “It’s a concern for some people.”
Read the full story here: BBC
