A CAR dealership has bemoaned the lack of charging points in Bradford as the number of electric vehicles in the city doubled in the last year.

The Government is aiming to entirely phase out petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030, with battery electric vehicles planned to account for all car sales by 2035.

Department for Transport figures show there were 1,104 battery-electric vehicles in Bradford at the end of last year – up from 545 at the end of 2020.

It meant 559 electric vehicles were newly registered in 2021 – more than double the 239 the year before.

Across the UK, the number of electric vehicles on the roads almost doubled, from 215,000 at the end of 2020 to 420,000 last year.

John Tordoff, chief executive of JCT600, confirmed that the business is seeing a growing demand for electric vehicles but that the number of charging points is proving problematic.

He said: “Although electric vehicles are relatively expensive compared to their ICE equivalent, there are cheaper models being released every month, so they will become more and more affordable over time.

“One of the biggest obstacles remains the lack of adequate charging infrastructure which is a concern to many people, especially those who don’t have a driveway on which to park and charge their car. However, again, as the number of electric vehicles increases, it is likely that the availability of charging points will also grow.”

The Government hopes to install 300,000 public charging points by 2030, 18 times the number a decade previously.

A West Yorkshire Combined Authority spokesperson added: “As we work towards creating a net zero carbon region by 2038 at the latest, it is vital that we make it easier for people to switch to electric vehicles.

“The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has already funded 94 rapid electric charging points across our region with a further eight set to go live by the end of August 2022, with 22 of those in Bradford. These are all in easy to access locations such as supermarket carparks, railway stations and park and ride facilities.

“As a region, West Yorkshire currently has 651 public charge points – and the largest network of rapid charge points outside of London with 228.

“In order to continue the upward trend in people switching to electric vehicles, the Combined Authority is working with its partners to bid for new funding to expand the public rapid charge network.”