Wales in danger of being ‘left behind’ by a lack of electric vehicle charging points

Parts of Wales are in danger of being left behind in the roll-out of electric vehicle charging points, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have warned.

They have called on the Welsh Government and local councils to work together along with the industry to ensure that the people of Wales have sufficient charging points to be able to switch to electric.

Sales of electric vehicles grew by over 130% in the year to May 2020, with sales expected to grow further in the coming years.

However, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds warned that large parts of the rural middle of the country, in particular, were still without charging points.

“The lack of charging points is clearly as issue for people all over Wales,” she said.

“Many homes, especially those in built up urban areas where on road parking is common, will be unable or reluctant to consider an electric vehicle as home charging is not practical.

“Similarly, there are large swathes of rural mid Wales where there are no charging points, which will limit the appeal of these vehicles if they can only be charged at home.

“I want the Welsh Government to work constructively with local councils and industry in the years ahead to plan and deliver a network of charging points to truly enable Wales to embrace the electric vehicle revolution.”

‘Quickly’

There is currently only one rapid (43kW+) charging point in mid-Wales, and only 10 across the north of Wales.

Welsh Liberal Democrat environment spokesperson Rodney Berman said that it was clear that the Welsh Government could not achieve the necessary increases alone.

“A Senedd report published last year recommend that the Welsh Government should be proactively working with local authorities to increase the uptake,” he said.

“The UK Government is providing significant funding for individuals and businesses to install EV charging points. However, it is paramount that the Welsh Government makes it a priority to encourage more take up in order to coordinate the introduction of a Wales-wide network of public charging points and ensure Wales doesn’t lag behind other parts of the UK.

“We also need to look at how more public charging points could be installed where it is not practical for people to install their own.

“If Wales is to become a carbon-neutral nation by 2050 the widespread roll-out of electric vehicles for both private and public transport is a must, but it also needs to happen much more quickly than is currently the case.”