The UK government has promised £20m to support electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and revealed that the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme will continue for an additional year, demonstrating its commitment to EV adoption.

The move will lead to the installation of 4,000 new charge points.

The extension was announced in a letter to local authorities by transport secretary Grant Shapps, who urged local councils to use the scheme to support drivers without access to private parking who require reliable vehicle charging.

He said: "From Cumbria to Cornwall, drivers across the country should benefit from the electric vehicle revolution we're seeing right now."

The news comes as a report by think tank Policy Exchange, entitled “Charging Up”, warned that the electric car charge-point roll-out must progress five times quicker before the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars comes into play.

The report claims that the UK will need 400,000 public chargers by 2030, and that installations will need to move from current levels of 7,000 a year to 35,000.

It added that without action rural areas were in danger of becoming "charging blackspots".

Both developments come after Boris Johnson's November pledge to invest £1.3bn in infrastructure over the next four years as part of his "green industrial revolution" plans.

Rod Dennis, RAC motoring group spokesman, said: "Without a big increase in the number of charge points right across the UK, certain parts of the country risk getting left behind as 2030 approaches. Everyone remembers what happened when broadband started to be rolled out and some areas were left with poor connections."

He added: "It would be a major policy failure if something similar happened in the next few years with communities missing out on good charging provision."

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