80% of public charging points would take 8 hours to charge a small electric car as Liberal Democrats demand more investment needed
Stockport electric car drivers risk becoming stranded due to lack of action taken by Council
Stockport is the third worst area in the country to charge your electric car, analysis of official statistics by the Liberal Democrats can reveal.
In Stockport, there are a staggering 16,568 registered electric cars sharing just 16 rapid charging points. There are also just 20 older and slower electric chargers in Stockport, despite the above average level of electric cars in the area. Only two local authority areas have fewer rapid charging points for every electric car (Windsor & Maidenhead and Swindon).
Electric car drivers in these areas are most likely to be stranded by 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.
Just 372 new “rapid” electric vehicle chargers were installed in the UK over the last three months, 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.
Local Liberal Democrat Councillor, Tom Morrison, said: “Stockport Council needs to take action now or risk electric car drivers becoming stranded across the borough because we have outdated infrastructure. The blame lies as much with Stockport Council, as it does with the Conservative government.
“How can we expect people to start using more environmentally friendly electric cars when there aren’t the necessary charge points in place to help people make this decision?”
“Yet again this shows Stockport Council is good at talking about climate change, but completely misses the mark when it comes to tackling it. Positive action is needed now.”
Sarah Olney MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Transport, said: “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.”
