I’d like to congratulate the AMs in whose names this debate is tabled today. For my contribution, I’d like to address my comments to the second part of the motion, dealing with electric vehicles. The number of electric and hybrid vehicles on Welsh roads has increased dramatically in recent years, with nearly a twenty-fivefold increase in the four years between 2012 and 2016. This is obviously something that we should welcome. We know that emissions from motor vehicles contribute to global warming and are linked to tens of thousands of deaths each year. However, to ensure greater take-up of electric vehicles, we need to ensure that the correct infrastructure is in place so they can be used in everyday life, and this is something that my colleague Jenny Rathbone has already mentioned.

I noticed with great interest the commitment in the budget a few weeks ago for £2 million for electric vehicle charging points. I think this is a really sensible step in making sure Wales can develop the network of supply points it needs, but we need to ensure a network not just of charging points, but of rapid charging points. These are those charging units that can provide an 80 per cent charge in around 30 minutes, as compared to those units that take three to four hours to fully recharge a vehicle. With the average range of an electric car being around 80 miles, for many journeys, users will need to stop and charge their vehicle up again, and it’s simply not feasible for us to have charging units where people would have to stop for three to four hours. These are the kinds of things that put people off owning electric vehicles, so it’s really important that we use this investment in getting the rapid charging points, rather than the conventional ones.

Outside of a dozen or so rapid charging points, which are largely limited to the M4 or the A55 corridors, this really is something that requires further development, and I would hope that the Welsh Government will engage with the passionate and committed electric vehicle community at an early stage to make the best decisions on spending this money correctly and efficiently. It is a basic point, but we must make sure that these charging facilities are located in the right places and that they’re accessible 24 hours a day, too.

In doing my research for today, I found the report from the low-carbon vehicle expert group produced for the previous Minister for Economy, Science and Transport to be particularly useful. The report offers sensible suggestions for how the Welsh Government can promote a rapid charging network across the public sector estate and better develop an LCV fleet of vehicles. It also notes the importance of promoting alternative fuel sources amongst public transport vehicles. As the report notes, the strength of Wales’s automotive base places us in a good position to develop as a centre of excellence for low-carbon vehicles, and this, in turn, offers new opportunities for us to stimulate growth and capitalise on its economic benefits. I commend this motion today.