In a recent AA Populus study, of 21,877 drivers, 96% overestimated the cost of installing a charging point at home, while access to public charging points was the second most common barrier to ownership, identified by 81% of respondents, and 59% were concerned about range.

To combat this, the partnership will offer AA members a fully installed charging point for £300, funded by the 75% grant from OLEV, as well as providing a 10% discount for membership of Chargemaster’s POLAR Plus charging scheme – taking the cost down to £6.85. Plans are also in place to install chargers at all 2,500 AA-rated hotels across the UK.

The two companies will also work together to highlight the benefits of EV ownership. High purchase prices for plug-ins were listed as a barrier by 82% of respondents, while 68% overestimated how long this would take to offset with lower in-life costs. Two thirds were concerned about battery durability, while 59% said the low range would not suit them.

David Martell, Chargemaster CEO, said: “We want to change that perception. This new relationship with the AA will see hundreds more AA branded charging points installed.  They’ll go in at AA-rated hotels and other accessible public places such as supermarkets, public car parks and town centres while we will be embarking on a public awareness campaign to show that charging a vehicle at home is neither difficult nor costly.”

Edmund King OBE, AA president, added: “We think that the EV revolution is about to take off and we want to help consumers understand the benefits of low cost, low emission driving and to show them it is accessible and affordable. Per mile driven an EV is five times cheaper than the average petrol car and carries no vehicle excise duty.

“The vast number of car journeys are under 25 miles and a third of households have two or more cars. Hence, we estimate that more than two million second cars could be electric tomorrow, with no disadvantages and many cost-saving benefits.”