BMW has announced a new three year partnership with National Parks UK to make the nation's outdoor spaces more accessible for electric vehicles.

The deal will also support nature restoration, biodiversity, sustainability and well-being projects across the 15 national parks in the UK.

The sites are visited more than 100 million times each yearvand 90 per cent of these visits are made by car.

With the exponential growth of demand for electric cars, which already account for 14 per cent of new car sales in the UK, pressure on the limited recharging networks in the National Parks is growing.

BMW's Recharge in Nature project will enhance this network with the installation of Pod Point recharging posts at key locations across the area, helping to enable access to these beauty spots for the lowest emitting and quietest vehicles.

The Lake District National Park is the first location, where the installation of recharging posts has already started.

Over the next three years, BMW UK will also work with National Parks UK to support locally delivered initiatives, focussed on enabling more sustainable tourism, nature restoration, biodiversity and wellbeing through the Recharge in Nature Fund.

These supported projects will enable the national parks to promote more sustainable UK tourism, enhance wellbeing and to restore nature and biodiversity.

The first Recharge in Nature Fund grant will support the restoration of dew ponds in the South Downs National Park. It will then roll out to support projects within Snowdonia, Dartmoor and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs in 2023, with projects at the other 11 national parks to be confirmed.

Chris Brownridge, BMW's chief executive in the UK, said:"Sustainability is at the heart of our business and enhancing the EV recharging network in the UK's national parks will help to make these favourite destinations more accessible for the increasing numbers of drivers who choose an electric car, as well as to support local communities in their shift to the new technology.

"With biodiversity and the health of UK nature more important than ever before, we are also pleased to support a range of local projects within the Parks to help preserve these precious landscapes for the future."

Richard Leafe, Lake District National Park chief executive, said:"In the Lake District, we are aiming to be a net zero National Park by 2037 and one of the best ways to achieve this is by reducing carbon emissions from visitor travel. Our partnership with BMW is a significant step towards this, giving visitors and communities a wider choice of sustainable travel options, meaning we can all play a part in continuing to protect and enhance this special place."