THERE are more public electric vehicle charging points in Flintshire and Wrexham than there were two years ago, new figures show.

As people are urged to "invest in our planet" for Earth Day 2022, the Government is aiming to entirely phase out petrol and diesel-powered cars by 2030.

But with battery electric vehicles planned to account for all car sales by 2035, it has faced criticism from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which says there are not enough charging points for many people to purchase electric vehicles.

Department for Transport figures show there were 34 publicly provided charging points in Flintshire on January 1 – up from 15 two years ago.

READ MORE: Flintshire Council to install EV charging points at car parks

In Wrexham, there were also 34 publicly provided charging points in Wrexham on January 1 – up from 13 two years ago.

Flintshire residents had also installed 559 at-home charging points through the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme as of January 1 – a 199 per cent increase over the last two years, further Department for Transport figures outline.

Wrexham residents had also installed 336 at-home charging points through the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme as of January 1 – a 167 per cent increase in the same period.

READ MORE: More places to charge your electric car installed in Wrexham

But with residents requiring "designated, private off-street parking" for the Homecharge Scheme, the SMMT has argued for more investment for those who only have on-street parking available.

Across Wales, only 50 charging points have been fitted as a part of the On-Street Residential Scheme, to which local authorities can apply to fund installations.

A further 103 applications have been approved since April 2019, but installation remains incomplete.

Separate figures from the SMMT show there are now more than 460,000 battery-electric cars in the UK, more than double the number two years before.

On average, an electric car will emit around one-third less carbon dioxide than an equivalent petrol or diesel car, Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign group, says.

But a lack of charging points is putting people off from switching, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes argues.

"The automotive industry is up for the challenge of a zero-emission new car and van market by 2035", said Mr Hawes.

"Delivering this ambition needs more than automotive investment; it needs the commensurate commitment of all other stakeholders, especially the charging industry."

The Government announced major investment plans in charging infrastructure last month, totalling £1.6 billion across a range of schemes.

They include the already announced £950 million Rapid Charging Fund, to install more than 6,000 rapid chargers on England's motorways, and a £450 million Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund to address the shortfall of local charging points.

By 2030, the Government aims to provide 300,000 public charging points, 18 times the number a decade previously.