The Electric Highway, a network of charging points located at service stations on routes connecting the capital with Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and now Leeds, offers an 80% charge in less than half an hour – matching the average time stopped at these sites.

All of the charging points are supplied with 100% renewable energy, from solar and wind power, and nine of the 26 fast chargers are located on the M1 corridor, including service stations at South Mimms, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Derby and Sheffield.

Ecotricity founder, Dale Vince, said the three main barriers to electric vehicle adoption – price, range and charging times – were steadily being overcome: ‘The first of these barriers – price – is being resolved by motor industry competition, which has forced down new car prices by as much 35% over the past two years.

‘The second and third barriers are really one and the same – concern over the distance that an electric car will travel on a single charge – called range anxiety. This is being overcome by installing fast-charging infrastructure in the right locations.’