Shoppers are nonetheless sceptical about electrical automobiles and switching from petrol and diesel stays “an actual problem”, the boss of Ford UK has instructed the BBC.

Lisa Brankin stated extra authorities help for the electrical automotive market could be wanted forward of a proposed ban on new petrol and diesel gross sales in 2030.

Analysis from vitality regulator Ofgem suggests 6.5 million households plan to purchase electrical automobiles by 2030.

However the variety of electrical autos (EVs) presently in use stays low.

Analysis from the Society of Motor Producers and Merchants (SMMT) discovered EVs account for simply over 1% of the 35 million autos on UK roads.

Nevertheless, numbers are rising, with gross sales of battery-powered autos greater than doubling final yr whereas the variety of plug-in hybrids additionally grew by greater than a 3rd.

However Ms Brankin, managing director at Ford of Britain and Eire, told Radio 5 Live’s Wake Up to Money programme many purchasers have been sceptical about shopping for an electrical automobile. The carmaker continues to be the main producer within the UK by way of automobile gross sales, based on 2020 figures from Statista.

“We did a survey buyer attitudes and we noticed that simply over 10% of consumers have been actively contemplating a battery electrical automobile as their subsequent buy,” Ms Brankin stated.

“Most different individuals have been nonetheless involved about quite a lot of issues – vary, the charging infrastructure, the lack of understanding obtainable to clients and clearly the worth as nicely.

On the price of electrical autos, she stated: “We do recognise that that is a matter and that is why we have been calling on authorities to proceed to help the entire vary of battery electrical autos.

The federal government’s objective to part out autos which generate tailpipe emissions is a part of a wider plan to make the UK carbon impartial by 2050.

The RAC stated in Could the UK’s charging community would need to grow “exponentially” to manage as electrical automobile gross sales surged.

Gross sales have risen quickly, partly resulting from strict new emissions guidelines within the EU which have pressured producers to take a position billions in new zero-emission fashions.

A report from the Public Accounts Committee launched this month warned the federal government had no plan to fulfill the “enormous problem” of persuading motorists to change to electrical autos by 2030. The identical report stated solely 13 electrical automotive fashions on sale within the UK for the time being price lower than £30,000.

Ms Brankin stated the corporate wished to see a “complete plan” from the federal government for the change to electrical autos “that includes all stakeholders and never simply automotive producers.”

The federal government has stated it’s investing £2.8bn to assist the automotive trade and drivers make the change to electrical and the added EV prices will fall as manufacturing grows around the globe.