Up to 1,000 ultra-fast plug-in points will be installed that can charge an electric vehicle in just five minutes at petrol stations to combat queues

More than 1,000 ultra-fast sockets will be installed at petrol stations that can charge an electric vehicle in just five minutes to combat long queues.

Some highway services have started deploying marshals to manage the long lines of frustrated drivers waiting to charge their cars.

However, the head of Britain’s largest charging network said these images will “be a thing of the past” once his company installs the new ports that will cut charging times from half an hour to five minutes.

Toddington Harper, the chief executive of Gridserve, which runs charging points at Moto, Roadchef and Extra fuel stations, will spend £1 billion on installing the fast chargers by the end of 2024.

This represents a tenfold increase from the 124 built in early 2023, as the company expects to charge 400,000 electric vehicles per month next year.

Concerns about the availability of public charging points are cited as one of the main reasons why people choose not to buy an electric car.

But Harper believes these concerns have accelerated his plans for more charging points in this country.

Last month the RAC said the government had failed to meet its target of having six or more fast or ultra-fast chargers at every motorway service station in England by the end of 2023. Only 46 of the 119 gas stations had that many.

Harper said the times: ‘A few years ago it was very difficult to get financing for charging infrastructure.

“Instead of people worrying about lines, people were worrying, ‘Is anyone really going to show up? Will electric cars become a thing?’

“Queues have given the financial community the confidence to raise money, making queues a thing of the past. Sometime this month, the country is expected to reach the milestone of one million fully electric cars on the road.”

Tesla’s superchargers typically operate at 250 kW. Vehicles currently using Gridserve stations typically plug in for 30 minutes to consume 350 kW.

Harper claims its 350 kW chargers can provide enough power in five minutes to drive an electric car 100 miles.

Although the batteries in most existing electric vehicles cannot charge at this speed and intensity, Harper says newer cars with such capabilities will appear on UK roads from later this year, and most vehicles will be able to charge at this rate from 2026 .

The head of Britain’s largest charging network said these images will be a thing of the past once his company installs a thousand ultra-fast plug-in points that will cut charging time from half an hour to five minutes.

The world’s largest battery maker, CATL, began mass production of the Shenxing battery last year and says a 10-minute charge is enough for a 250-mile trip.

Harper purchased the fledgling Electric Highway with highway gas station plug-in points in 2021 from its creator, Dale Vince, the founder of Ecotricity.

He is so confident in Gridserve’s plans that he believes it will not be necessary for the Government to go ahead with its plan to put almost £1 billion in grants into building network connections on motorways.

But others still believe that this charging network has not been rolled out quickly enough.

Mike Hawes, the CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: ‘Powering our highways with the latest charging technology is absolutely crucial to accelerating the EV revolution.

‘Manufacturers are investing in models, some of which are already on the market, that can charge at higher rates, and that is why we need a national network to match it, so that it can be built ahead of the need and to reduce VAT on public charges .’