The plan, designed to drive collaboration between government, industry and all other stakeholders, calls for mandated targets for infrastructure rollout, backed by an independent regulator to keep consumers at the heart of planning.

As demand for electric vehicles has surged, standard public charging infrastructure has struggled to keep pace. Plug-in cars on the road grew by a phenomenal 280% between 2019 and 2021, but standard chargepoints increased by just 70% in the same period. This undermines consumer confidence to make the switch, with range anxiety now replaced by charging anxiety.

Although most current plug-in car users charge at home, public chargers remain critical to consumer confidence and are still relied upon by many commercial fleets, as well as the third of British households that do not have designated off-street parking.

The industry is also calling for the creation of a new regulatory body, ‘Ofcharge’ (the Office of Charging), to monitor the market, including affordability, and to enforce regulated minimum standards to keep the consumer at the heart of infrastructure planning and rollout.

With car makers having invested billions of pounds to bring more than 140 models of plug-in car to market in the UK and 55 more to be launched this year, a guarantee on infrastructure provision will give consumers the confidence to make the switch in even greater numbers.

Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive, said,

“Our plan puts the consumer at the heart of this transition, assuring them of the best possible experience backed by an independent regulator. With clear, equivalent targets and support for operators and local authorities that match consumer needs, government can ensure the UK has a chargepoint network that makes electric mobility a reality for all, cutting emissions, driving growth and supporting consumers across the UK.”