98 per cent of motorway within 20 miles of EV charge station

According to new research by the RAC Foundation, 98 per cent of England’s motorway network can be located within 20 miles of an electric vehicle (EV) charge point.

Currently, figures show there are just over 20,000 battery-only vehicles licensed in the UK.

The study also revealed that the proportion of service stations offering the facility has risen to 72 per cent, with 92 per cent of individual charging points operating as rapid points, meaning batteries can be fully charged in around 30 minutes.

The analysis also examined the proximity of charge points to A roads managed by Highways England (HE) and found that 82 per cent of the road network was within 20 miles of a charging station.

However, previous research from the RAC suggested that up to a third of charge points in London were not working at any one time.

The study also revealed that England’s connection figures were much higher than its counterparts. Scotland was found to have just 28 per cent of its major roads within 20 miles of a charge point, and 45 per cent for Wales.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: "Electric car drivers might still struggle to drive from Land's End to John O'Groats but they can now travel from Southampton to Perth in a relatively straight line and be confident of being able to 'fill up' along the way.

”The growing charge point network is good news but there are important caveats. Though many of the charge points are rapid, it will still take about 30 minutes to fully replenish a battery. This is fine if you're first in the queue but could be a challenge if the hoped-for take up of electric cars materialises and you're stuck at the back of a very long line."

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