TWO new charging points for electric cars have been turned on in Newcastle Emlyn - and for the moment they are free for motorists to use.

The two charging points in the Mart car park were installed back in January and have finally been turned on.

The 7kW chargers will charge a compatible electric vehicle in three to five hours and will be free to use for the first 12 months while their usage is monitored.

Carmarthenshire County Council secured funding for the plug-in chargers through the Welsh Government’s LEADER programme following an increase in electric vehicle sales and wants to install more.

By the end of the year it is estimated that around 200,000 vehicles on UK roads will be electric.

The council’s executive board member for communities and member for Newcastle Emlyn, Cllr Hazel Evans, said: “These fast chargers will enhance our current provision in Carmarthenshire and offer motorists a more accessible service.

“We will be looking at installing more of these points across the county to meet the growing demand for electric and plug-in hybrid cars.”

Wales has around 350 charging points — and the Welsh Government has £2m to fund new ones, with a focus on “rapid” charging points costing around £40,000 per unit.

Neil Lewis has racked up 100,000 miles driving around Wales in electric cars since 2013 and said he would never switch back to a petrol or diesel.

He is now on his third electric car — a Nissan Leaf — which he said has a range of 130 miles.

“I used to buy sports cars as a younger man,” said the 50-year-old.

“These (electric cars) are more fun to drive. You get a lot of torque and a lot of power.”

Mr Lewis, general manager of community benefit society Carmarthenshire Energy, said he was working with the council to develop a charging point strategy.

He said putting two or three charging points in a location rather than just one would be a good move and that it was vital that charging points made a profit for whoever installs and runs them.

“I think we are getting there with the technology,” he said. “Battery costs are coming down and they are getting cheaper to manufacture.”