Milton Keynes has more electric car charging points than any other city in England outside of London, new figures have revealed.
Government data shows there are 327 publicly available charging points in Milton Keynes which is a 19% increase on January 2020.
This puts the city top of the tree for electric car charging points per 100k population in England outside of London, and only behind London and the Orkney Islands in the whole of the United Kingdom.
114 of these are rapid charging units, the current fastest way to charge an electric vehicle, which actually puts Milton Keynes at the top of the list in the UK (per 100k population).
The Government announced in November 2020 that the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be banned by 2030, meaning they want people to make the switch to electric.
The ban had been initially been planned for 2040, then 2035 (the date hybrid cars will be banned), but has now been brought forward again to 2030 under a new government plan to tackle climate change.
Currently fewer than 1% of cars on UK roads are powered entirely by electricity, so the prime minister's plan to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will require an enormous investment in the infrastructure needed for electric vehicles.
Milton Keynes is already at the forefront of charging points, so the city should easily adjust to the electric car revolution.
Milton Keynes MPs Ben Everitt and Iain Stewart met with the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps before the pandemic to discuss the importance of electric vehicles in the future and are delighted as the Government has just announced a £20 million boost to increase charge points across the country.
Ben Everitt, the MP for Milton Keynes North, said: “Milton Keynes is always at the heart of tech and innovation and that’s no different with electric charging points, it’s fantastic news that we’re leading the way to a greener future.
“And I’m thrilled the Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will be supporting councils such as MK even further with brand new £20 million funding as we build back greener.”
Iain Stewart, the MP for Milton Keynes South, commented, “I am proud of Milton Keynes, yet again, leading the way on innovation and being at the forefront of electrical charging points.
“As we approach the 2030 ban on sales of petrol and diesel cars, it is important we have these charging points in place across the city to support our transition to electric cars!”
Milton Keynes is also home to the EV Centre, which is the UK's first brand-neutral centre for electric and plug-in vehicles.
READ MORE: Is Milton Keynes ready for the Government's electric car revolution?
