More Bradford drivers are going green, according to figures showing a surge in electric vehicle registrations.

Motorists turning their backs on petrol and diesel contributed to a 40 per cent national rise in the number of newly registered ultra-low emission vehicles (ULEV)last year.

Department for Transport data shows 1,981 ULEVs were licensed to addresses in Bradford as of September – an 80 per cent increase from 1,103 a year earlier.

Of those, 504 25 per cent were registered to companies based in the area, while 1,477 were privately owned.

The figures show 83,000 ULEVs made up 15 per cent of all new registrations nationally between July and September last year when registrations of petrol and diesel cars fell 41 per cent and 66 per cent respectively.

Around 645,000 ULEVs were registered across the UK as of September – up from 373,000 the year before.

Designed to emit less than 75g of carbon dioxide from the tailpipe for every kilometre travelled, they include battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles.

The sharp year-on-year rise in ULEVs, which incorporated a record 48,000 registrations made in September alone, came despite an overall drop in new car registrations nationally.

In 2021, the total number of public charge points increased by a third.

88 charge points have been installed across West Yorkshire as part of a collaboration between West Yorkshire Combined Authority, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds and Wakefield councils, and Leeds-based energy and services company ENGIE.

22 of these rapid charging points are in Bradford and Bradford is one of only 21 authorities across the UK offering free Electrical Vehicle (EV) charging points.

A Bradford Council spokesperson, said: “Our electric vehicle charging programme is part of the Council’s broader drive to make our district cleaner and greener.

“Recently we secured £4m in government funding to assist local taxis to make the transition to electric.

“We consider the environment and climate important priorities which is why we have committed to net zero emissions by 2038 and aim to have made significant progress made by 2030.

“This pledge has been backed by a huge amount of work across the whole of the council including in transport, regeneration, culture and education.

“We understand this is a mammoth task and can only be achieved collectively by including local businesses, the wider public sector, community groups and individuals.

“Considerable investment from the Government to support councils to deliver this crucial work is also needed.”