Significant jump in the number of electric vehicles on the county's roads

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.

The AA said the numbers show "the appetite for electric vehicles is steadily growing", adding improved charging infrastructure and more affordable price points could see the total number break the one million mark this year.

'It was certainly a baptism of fire' – Star reporter shares highs and lows of driving an electric car

But a senior figure at Auto Trader said the uptake is not sufficient to meet the Government's "admirable but ambitious 2030 targets," and called on support for the market to further increase electric car adoption.

For Shropshire and Mid Wales there has been a marked rise in the number of people using electric vehicles.

Department for Transport figures show 1,820 battery-electric cars were registered in Shropshire at the end of last year – up more than 50 per cent from 1,154 the year before.

For Telford and Wrekin the number was up by a quarter from 658 to 934, while Powys saw a rise of 50 per cent from 381 to 575.

Across the UK the increase was even higher.

A total of 629,000 battery-electric cars were licensed at the end of 2022 – up by 66 per cent from 379,000 at the end of 2021.

But Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said the online car marketplace has seen interest in brand-new electric vehicles drop by almost two thirds since the beginning of last year.

Mr Plummer said: "The uptake is positive and moving in the right direction, but it’s not where we need to be if we’re to meet the Government’s admirable, but ambitious 2030 targets."

He added "substantial measures to support the market", such as cutting VAT on public chargers, should be introduced to further encourage buyers.

"To reach the Government’s goal, the focus needs to be on converting the masses and making EVs more accessible across different demographics," he said.

The county is also seeing a significant expansion in the number of charging points available.

Last month Telford & Wrekin Council confirmed it would be adding another 70 charging points to car parks across the borough after receiving £673,000 from the Government.

They will be based in car parks across Wellington, Dawley, Oakengates, Hadley, Ironbridge and Newport.

Last year Shropshire Council said it would be putting in 270 charging points across the county in 40 locations.

The project was being funded through £900,000 from the Government, topped up with £600,000 from the council.

The number of plug-in hybrids also rose during 2022, with 30 per cent more cars registered on the UK's roads at the end of 2022 than the year before.

In Shropshire, 1,222 hybrid petrol and diesel cars were licensed – up from 852 in 2021, while there were 549 in Telford & Wrekin – up from 400 - and 379 in Powys, up from 275.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: "The growing number of vehicles that come with a plug shows that the appetite for electric vehicles is steadily growing.

"Continued growth in the public charging network, improved single-charge distances and more models available at more affordable price points could mean the number of battery electric cars breaks the one million mark this year."

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The statistics speak for themselves – more people than ever are buying electric vehicles and we’ve put more than £2bn into helping them do so.

"This includes our £381m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund to support the roll-out of charge points across the country, and we are also working closely with industry to make sure electric vehicles are an attractive choice for everyone as sales grow."