MILLIONS have been left fighting over fewer than 6,000 EV chargers as the chaos of the net zero transition is revealed.
The shortage of charging stations is one of the major sticking points that renders the scheduled 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars impractical.
ReutersMillions of Brits have been left to fight over fewer than 6,000 chargers in rural areas[/caption]
Just one in six charging points can be found in rural parts with only 5,700 of the 34,203 in the UK outside cities, according to official figures.
This has left millions without an easy way to transition away from fossil fuels, with government statistics classifying over a fifth of the nation’s population as living in “predominantly rural” areas.
Given that people living in the countryside are more likely to rely on a car for daily use rather than crumbling public transport networks this presents a major issue for the move away from oil and gas.
Indeed, just last month, data from the Department for Transport revealed that some areas are even complete EV charging blackspots.
Swathes of Somerset, Cumbria and Yorkshire remain completely without any publicly available charging stations.
And thousands of motorists have backed The Sun’s Give Us A Brake campaign, which urges the Government to delay the forced transition to electric cars until proper charging infrastructure is in place.
Nevertheless, ministers seem determined to push on with the ban, which will see manufacturers banned from selling any new petrol or diesel models in the UK.
In July, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove described the 2030 cut-off as “immovable“.
He told BBC Radio 4: “We’re committed to maintaining our policy of ensuring that by 2030 there are no new petrol and diesel cars being sold.
“I’m sure there are some people who would like to change that policy, I understand. But that policy remains.”
It comes after The Sun Online revealed the fiasco of UK charging stations even where they do exist.
Drivers have been left queuing for hours at service stations up and down the country, while one site even saw 24 newly installed chargers taped off due to power grid issues.
One motorist said he felt “mugged off” by the lack of proper charging services, while another was left feeling “stitched up” by sky-high prices.
Meanwhile, a motors expert explained the two major reasons why less than half of Brits say they are prepared to make the switch to an EV.