VAUXHALL has launched a nationwide campaign to enable every motorist to make the switch to zero emission electric driving.

It follows a survey which revealed more than 70 per cent of UK councils have no published strategy for on-street charging in residential areas.

The car maker has joined up with leading charge point operators and has set up an Enablement Fund to help improve local authority awareness of the need for residential on-street charging.

James Taylor, managing director of Vauxhall, said: "Accessibility to charge points near your home is critical to the transition to electric vehicle ownership in the UK.

"We want to galvanise the needs and interests of everyone, from the public, to the councils and the charging operators to make sure that anyone without a driveway is part of that journey.

"We want to help educate and inform the decision-makers, and enable the installation of more chargers, more quickly."

The move comes after a Freedom of Information application across 414 councils and local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland revealed that 69 per cent of local authorities have yet to install any on-street chargers.

According to the 289 councils who provided data up to July 1, only 14,188 new charge points are planned for installation this year.

That figure is well behind the rate required to hit the Government's target of having 300,000 charge points in operation by the end of 2030.

In response, Vauxhall has set up the Electric Streets of Britain programme to make sure drivers without driveways are not left behind in the transition to electric mobility.

Some 40 per cent of British households do not have a driveway, which according to Vauxhall leaves millions of potential EV owners unable to charge - a figure which rises to more than 60 per cent in urban areas.

Working with leading charging operators char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge, Vauxhall has set up its Enablement Fund to help councils understand the scale of on-street charging issues, and the solutions available, ahead of the Government's planned ban on the sale of new combustion engined cars in 2030.

Vauxhall has also set up a new national database at for people to register their needs, enabling councils to have a better understanding of where demand really lies for on-street charging for both existing and potential EV drivers.

On-street electric car charging is seen as critical to EV uptake as current data shows that 80 per cent of all EV charging is done at home.

Residential on-street charging solutions include lamp post chargers, which can be installed and working within as little as 30 minutes, and pavement-mounted bollards.

On-street charging provision will help residents without off-street parking to charge their EVs, but the benefits extend beyond private motorists.

An estimated four in 10 company owned electric vans are charged at home by employees, so the widespread availability of charge points will support businesses to go electric by helping van drivers to top up both at home and, as destination chargers, when they are attending residential jobs.

Vauxhall already offers a range of popular electric cars and vans, and from 2024 will offer a fully electric version of every model in its line up. It plans to be an all-electric brand from 2028.

It is the best-selling electric van manufacturer in the country and its Ellesmere Port plant on Merseyside is set to become its parent group Stellantis' first site dedicated to manufacturing electric models.

Vauxhall stresses that the Electric Streets of Britain campaign is open to all and not just those who are interested or use a Vauxhall electric vehicle.