The Welsh Government is investing £15m to increase the number of electric vehicle charging points across the country.
The funding, confirmed by Deputy Climate Change Minister Lee Waters, will be used to help local authorities increase the number of charging facilities ahead of the manufacture of fossil fuel vehicles being phased out in 2030.
It follows £26m invested in charging infrastructure across Wales since 2021 which has created more than 1,600 charging points – enough for one in six battery electric vehicles. However, the Welsh Conservatives described the funding as "meagre" with electric vehicle charging point infrastructure in Wales falling behind that in England
Mr Waters said: “Drivers need to have the confidence to make the switch to electric vehicles as demand increases and that’s why we are committed to creating high quality electric vehicle infrastructure across Wales.
“Most of this work will be delivered by the private sector but our role is to facilitate private sector investments across Wales and ensure equality of access.
“To help with this, we have created a private sector taskforce which will engage with the market, break down any barriers to investment and accelerate the roll-out of charging infrastructure.
“The funding announced today is another step in the right direction but we have further to go – we will continue to work with local authorities and the private sector so that Wales keeps up with the rapid increase in the number of electric vehicles.”
The Welsh Government has a target of providing charging points for every 20 miles of the strategic trunk network across Wales by 2025.
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Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS said: "In Wales, Labour bears the responsibility for our dire situation, a pitiful number of 53 electric vehicle charging points per 100,000 people, while England has 60 per 100,000 people and Scotland boasts 72 per 100,000 people. Our EV charger network is lagging behind, and as a result, Wales is destined to fall behind.
"While we welcome this new funding, let's face the truth, £15m is a mere drop in the ocean, insufficient to transform Wales into a future-ready EV powerhouse. With Labour's extravagant overspending of £250m on the South Wales metro, now totalling £1 billion, this meagre £15m for improving our EV infrastructure feels like a paltry gesture.
"I have consistently urged the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to stop turning a blind eye to the impending EV charging port crisis. The people of Wales are willingly embracing electric cars, yet it often seems that the Labour Government, driven by an anti-car, anti-growth, and anti-worker agenda, seeks to stifle this electric car revolution instead of fostering it.
"Instead of propelling Wales forward, Labour's current stance would bring our country to a grinding halt. Welsh Conservatives would establish a fast-charging network of 20,000 electric car charging stations across Wales, but it seems Labour would rather see Wales stagnant and underdeveloped."
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