The UK Government has announced a number of plans to persuade the public to start buying electric vehicles.

As part of the plans, the locations of charging points for plug-in vehicles are to be systematically mapped across the country to make it easier for motorists to use electric vehicles.

Transport Minister Norman Baker and Business Minister Mark Prisk announced the plans on Friday, which will see a National Chargepoint Registry - to be developed by UK based chargepoint manufacturer POD Point – providing a publicly-accessible database of chargepoints across the UK.

Alongside this, a new system – the Central Whitelist - will be created to make it easier for motorists to access each chargepoint without having to sign up to new schemes each time they charge in a different location.

Norman Baker said: “We know there is public appetite out there for plug-in vehicles and as government we’re doing everything possible to make them a real option for both motorists and industry.

“This Registry will get us away from the mind-set of; will I, won’t I get there? And I’m sure that public and private chargepoint owners alike will get behind the initiative because the more information we have up there the more motorists will be encouraged to make the switch to electric.

Minister Prisk said the Central Whitelist offered charging scheme operators a straightforward way to share membership card details, enabling drivers to access chargepoints outside their ‘home’ charging scheme.

The freedom to roam between charging schemes is a very important step forward for the plug-in vehicle market, the minister said.

Mark Prisk said: "There is no doubt that low-carbon vehicles are here to stay, we will continue to work with industry to create a world-leading charging network that really reflects the needs of its users.”

(DW)