Can the growth in charging points keep up with millions more electric vehicles?

New data from the Indigo car group has highlighted the growth in worldwide electric vehicle charging points, but it may not be keeping up with sales of the vehicles.

The company analysed data from the past 12 months to discover which countries had installed the most new stations.

The figures reveal that France is comfortably in first place with 11,987 new installations; Germany came in second on 7,937, while the UK was third with 2,833.

Other European countries also dominated the rankings with Switzerland (2,716), Austria (2,232) and Norway (2,116) close behind.

The US saw only 532 new charging points, while Canada also lagged behind with 1,070, according to the latest data.

A spokesperson from Indigo told The Times, said: “The number of electric vehicles in the world hit a new record in 2016, accelerating past the two million barrier, as prices fell and manufacturers launched new models.

“This proves that countries around the world are at the forefront of stimulating deployment. But where are all the charging points?”

A host of European countries and car companies have made public pledges to make the transition towards cleaner forms of transport. France and the UK both plan to end sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040; Germany is seeking to have one million active electric cars by 2020. Volvo also became the first major car manufacturer to commit to selling only electric, or hybrid vehicles, starting from 2019. While Tesla remains the market leader in this technology, consumers can also choose from a Chevy Bolt, a new Renault Zoe, and an upgraded Nissan Leaf.

Bloomberg New Energy Finance has also predicted that by 2040 sales will account for one third of the world’s auto fleet, a total of 530 million vehicles.

In the UK, there is an estimated 100,000 electric vehicles on the road, and Scotland has especially seen an increase in the use of charging points. Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, went as far to say in December that “Scotland may be on the cusp of a motoring revolution”. 

Image Credit: Indigo