New homes and buildings such as supermarkets and workplaces, as well as those undergoing major renovation, will be required to install electric vehicle charge points from next year.

With the sale of new petrol and diesel cars to end in 2030, the government is looking to supercharge the electric vehicle revolution and make it easier and simpler for people to switch.

It is hoped the new building regulations, which the government is unveiling today, will see up to 145,000 extra charging points installed across England each year.

And with the majority of charging happening at home the changes will enable home owners buying new properties to have the equipment ready and waiting for an electric vehicle.

It is hoped adding points to new developments and making them more readily available at newly built officers and work places - as well as outside new shops - will steadily make powering an electric car as easy as refuelling a petrol or diesel car.

As well as new homes and non-residential buildings, places undergoing large-scale renovations that are left with more than 10 parking spaces will also have to ensure the availability of charging points too.

While welcoming the new regulations, AA president Edmund King says it is crucial that attention is also paid to residential streets, which don't have the luxury of off-street parking, if an EV revolution is to be successful.

He explained: “The majority of EV drivers in the future will do most of their charging at home, so it is essential that new homes are equipped to help this transition. For those without off-street parking, it is also crucial that we see more charging posts on-street, and in offices and supermarkets.

“It will also be helpful to ensure all fast and rapid chargers provide contactless payments so that EV drivers in the future won’t need a phone full of apps and a wallet or purse full of cards just to get a charge.

“The prospects for the EV revolution are looking good with better and more affordable cars coming to the market with increased range and a more reliable charging infrastructure being developed. All this should help bring power to electric drivers.”

An additional £620 million, to support the transition to electric vehicles, was announced in the government’s Net Zero Strategy, which will include accelerating the roll out of local charging infrastructure across the UK.

Ministers say the UK already has one of the largest charging networks in Europe with government and industry having supported the installation of more than 250,000 charge points in homes and workplaces including almost 26,000 publicly available charging devices.

The government also hopes to make the process of charging an electric car as seamless as possible by exploring easier ways for motorists to pay while travelling - such as contactless systems at new rapid charging points - the plans for which are set to be set-out shortly.

Earlier this year supermarket giant Morrisons set out its plans to expand its network of ultra-fast electric car charging points at branches to enable customers to give their cars a rapid charge in the time it took them to shop.