The electric car revolution is coming to a halt due to a lack of charging points

Ministers are under pressure to reconsider the planned ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 amid a chronic shortage of electric car charging stations.

Around 40 per cent of UK households have no driveways or access to parking, a figure that rises to 60 per cent in urban areas.

As a result, many will be forced to rely on a public network of ‘on the street’ chargers for electric cars, as well as gas stations and other locations such as supermarket car parks.

But a report shows there are only 17,047 street chargers in the UK, 75 per cent of which are in London.

And as another sign that government efforts to revolutionize electric cars are floundering, nearly seven in ten local authorities in the UK have yet to install on-street charging points.

The figures, which have come to light through a freedom of information request from carmaker Vauxhall, will fuel fears that Britain lacks the infrastructure needed to meet the government’s deadline.

Industry experts warn that drivers – especially those who can’t charge their car at home – are being deterred from switching by so-called ‘range anxiety’ and the high purchase price of an electric car.

The Daily Mail has launched a campaign calling on ministers to reconsider the 2030 petrol and diesel ban. Recent polls for this newspaper show that barely one in four agrees with the deadline.

Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: ‘Many people are put off buying electric cars by the lack of reliable charging points, the short range and the time it takes to charge a car.

Municipalities make this even worse by not installing facilities. We also have a shortage of grid capacity and on many days electric cars are charged with electricity from fossil fuels.’

Colleague Tory Craig Mackinlay said the lack of on-street charging points risked creating “further public mistrust” of electric cars, adding to existing concerns about range, cost and reliability.

He added: “The looming 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars and vans is premature, out of step with competitors in the US and EU and points to the lack of enthusiasm from local authorities in providing charging points, that looks like a utopia to be enjoyed exclusively by the wealthy.’

Vauxhall’s report found that while London has 12,708 on-street charging points, there are only 4,339 more across the rest of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The capital has a further 6,397 on-street charging stations planned for the coming year, compared to just 3,580 for the rest of the country.

Vauxhall also revealed that 69 per cent of councils and local authorities have not yet installed on-street charging points and a similar number have not published any strategy for doing so.

That threatens to undermine government plans to have 300,000 public charging points by 2030.

“Accessibility to charging points near you is critical to the transition to electric vehicle ownership in the UK,” said Vauxhall managing director James Taylor. “We want to help educate and inform decision-makers and enable more chargers to be installed more quickly.”

To reach the target of 300,000, more than 100 public chargers must be installed per day. However, with less than 4,000 installed in April, May and June, the rate is about 40 per day.

Quentin Willson, founder of campaign group FairCharge, said: ‘The UK needs thousands of local charging points to boost electric vehicle use among the population without a driveway who can’t charge at home.

‘The government must get a grip on this.’

Critics have warned that the hasty policies and upcoming ban on petrol and diesel cars could cost hundreds of thousands of jobs and leave households worse off.