Figures reveal worst places in country to charge an electric car

Just 372 new “rapid” electric vehicle chargers were installed in the last three months 80% of public charging points would take 8 hours to charge small electric car as Liberal Democrats demand more investment needed Windsor, Swindon and Stockport the worst places to charge your electric car Windsor, Swindon and Stockport have the least amount of rapid chargers per electric cars, analysis of official statistics by the Liberal Democrats can reveal. Electric car drivers in these areas are most likely to be stranded by slower charging points taking at least 13 hours to charge a Nissan Leaf.  Rapid chargers however, take just 30 minutes, and are proven to encourage far more people to switch to electric cars.  In the local authority area of Windsor and Maidenhead, there are 1,474 electric cars registered in the area for every rapid charging point, the worst in the country.  In Stockport, there are a staggering 16,568 registered electric cars sharing just 16 rapid charging points.  Just 372 new “rapid” electric vehicle chargers were installed in the last three months across the UK, as part of 1,553 new chargers installed. This is despite the Conservatives promising to dramatically increase the number of fast chargers. These same statistics reveal that less than one in five (19%) of all electric vehicles charging points in the UK are so-called “rapid chargers”, whereas nearly  6,000 public charging points fall into the slow bracket (3KW - 5KW). This year the Conservatives have cut grants available to new electric vehicles. Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, said: “Too many electric car owners face the anxiety of being marooned in a car park for hours on end because the government is installing the wrong kind of charging points.  “The government needs to get on with it now or risk a new wave of electric car owners becoming stranded, or worse still, going back to diesel. “For all the big talk we have heard from the government at COP26 on electric cars, the reality of their lack of investment shows a completely different picture.  “Instead of vague words, Liberal Democrats are calling for a cut in VAT on the lowest cost electric vehicles and a massive expansion of rapid chargers, particularly in rural areas.” Frank Little, secretary of local Liberal Democrats, added: It is not clear whether these figures relate to England only. Certainly, the Welsh government has been criticised for its charging point strategy. We hope to research this issue.