Car industry calls for electric charge watchdog

The UK car industry has called for a watchdog to oversee electric car charging prices and the availability of charge points.

The growth in electric vehicles sales is outstripping the rollout of charging points, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said.

It said a regulator is needed to monitor the market.

The government said it was providing £1.3bn to expand the charging network.

Over the decade between 2011 and 2021 the number of charge points in the UK jumped from about 1,500 to more than 48,000, according to industry figures.

But between 2019 and 2021 the number of electric cars on the road increased much faster.

Moreover, the charge point rollout was uneven, going faster in the south of England than in the north, the industry body said.

The SMMT called on the government to set up a new regulator called "Ofcharge" - the Office of Charging - to monitor the market.

Public charging points "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 SMMT added.