A Gloucestershire electric vehicle (EV) charging expert says these are 'exciting times' for the industry after Shell promised to install 50,000 more EV charge points across the UK.

The energy giant made the pledge to install the charge points by 2030, in addition to 50,000 announced last year.

The UK currently has around 31,000 public charging points but it will need ten times that figure in the next ten years to support the UK's switch to electric transport, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC).

Richard Jones, managing director of Gloucestershire EV experts JEC Electrical, said: "This just shows the number of resources being channelled into EV charging infrastructure. Already Shell has two double rapid charge points in Lansdown Road, Cheltenham, ready to be energised.

"As well as Shell you have companies such as BP Pulse, Gridserve, Osprey and Instavolt doing the same thing.

"The Government has just announced a set of new EV infrastructure grants. For example a car park for a block of apartments can claim up to £30k. For SMEs, there are grants of up to £15k per building. Charities and small accommodation businesses can now claim up to £350 per point.

"I'm currently on a working holiday in Cornwall and have just surveyed a block of 35 holiday apartments for EV charge points, to which the Government will pay up to £30k or 75 per cent of the total cost.

"There will be lots of imaginative ways that people, businesses and organisations will provide the EV infrastructure that is required. These are exciting times in the EV charging industry."

Sky News reported that Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it is "crucial" for government and industry to collaborate on the green transport transition, calling Shell's move a "boost" for drivers.

Sales of used electric vehicles (EVs) reached a record high in the first quarter of this year, raising hopes that more drivers can afford one.

The upfront cost remains far higher than a fossil fuel vehicle, but the running costs are lower.

In March the UK government set a new target to increase the number of electric car chargers to 300,000 by 2030, following criticism that public infrastructure wasn't keeping up with EV sales.

The Department for Transport (DfT) is investing £950m in rapid charging points as part of its EV infrastructure strategy.

Sales of new cars and vans with petrol and diesel engines will be banned from 2030.

Shell's record operating profits of $9.1bn (£7.2bn) for the start of its financial year, amid the war in Ukraine and spiralling gas prices, has fuelled calls for a windfall tax. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has so far rejected those calls.