OXFORD is leading the way on the national rollout of electric vehicle charging points, figures reveal.

There were 94 public charging points in Oxford at the start of January, according to figures from the Department for Transport.

That is a rate of 62 per 100,000 people, much higher than the UK average of 31.

Since October 2019 – when figures began at a local authority level – Oxford has seen five devices added to its supply.

READ MORE: Latest coronavirus figures for Oxfordshire 

Meanwhile, across the UK, an additional 5,700 devices were made available over the same period, taking the total number up to 20,800 at the start of this year.

Electric cars have surged in popularity with manufacturers currently supplying a record number.

There were 768 electric vehicles licensed to addresses in Oxford at the end of September 2020, according to latest DfT data – up by 38per cent from 556 in September 2019.

In November, Prime Minister Boris Johnson brought forward the ban on petrol car sales from 2040 to 2030 as part of a 'green industrial revolution' to tackle climate change.

READ MORE: Boris Johnson to give a speech at press conference today 

A DfT spokesperson said: "This Government has committed £1.3 billion to rolling out charging infrastructure, and we would urge councils to use the funding we have made available to ensure their residents can access charge points.

"We have already supported the installation of more than 150,000 residential and almost 21,000 public charge points, and with further funding announced last week, even more people are set to benefit from better charge point access."

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