Shell has announced plans to install 50,000 on-street electric vehicle (EV) charging posts by the end of 2025, following its acquisition of Ubitricity in January. Around 3,600 Ubitricity chargers are already in place in the UK, using existing street infrastructure such as lamp posts and bollards. Shell will offer local authorities financing to allow for installation at zero cost.

Last month, Britain’s competition regulator reported that the UK needed 10 times as many EV charging points before the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars.

The roll-out of on-street charging was highlighted as a particular problem as more than 60% of households in English cities and urban areas do not have off-street parking.

The Guardian reports that the government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles currently pays 75% of the installation costs of on-street chargers. Shell says it is prepared to cover the remainder, subject to commercial terms.

Shell’s UK chair, David Bunch, said: “It’s vital to speed up the pace of EV charger installation across the UK and this aim and financing offer is designed to help achieve that. We want to give drivers across the UK accessible EV charging options, so that more drivers can switch to electric.”

In May, it was reported that a £300m investment will see Britain’s energy regulator, Ofgem, building 1,800 ultra-rapid charge points in motorway service areas and key trunk road locations over the next two years, plus a further 1,750 charge points in towns and cities.