The company will now offer a charge session of up to 30 minutes for £6, which is said to enable most electric vehicles to reach 80% battery capacity without the need to disconnect and start a new session.

Ecotricity had originally announced last Thursday that it was replacing its free-to-use membership with a new scheme where 20-minute charges would be priced at £5. The plans drew widespread criticism for making a usable top-up – which in many cases requires two charge sessions – as expensive as filling up with petrol or diesel.

It has now begun upgrading its motorway locations this week, with Gloucester Services now running the new app-based charging scheme. It expects to have all of its sites upgraded by the 5th of August.

Users will be able to access the ‘pumps’ via a smartphone app for Android and Apple devices, which offers a live map and remote monitoring of the charge session.

“We’ll be keeping a close eye on how this transition pans out and we’ll keep listening to feedback,” Ecotricity said in an e-mail to its members.