From 1 January 2011, the Department for Transport has introduced individual grants of £5,000 to purchase electric vehicles, as part of the Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ £400 million fund to reduce emissions from road transport.

Yet, the ECA says that it is vital to ensure that the infrastructure for EVs is in place. Group CEO Steve Bratt commented: 'Whilst I welcome the introduction of the electric vehicle grant, for EVs to be truly successful we must first make sure we have the infrastructure in place. This means having enough charging points throughout the country; all with a common installation standard, to ensure that they work properly.'

Mr Bratt added: 'If this initiative is successful, and the number of EVs on the road does increase significantly, it will be vital that the National Grid can cope. As without the correct infrastructure, the public could be left stranded as their car runs out of electricity.'

He concluded: 'Before the Government takes steps to incentivise the purchase of electric cars, it first needs to address the issues which stand in the way of their future success. If we’re not careful we could see a rerun of battery cars, which became an object of media and popular ridicule during the 1980s.'