PLANS to make Oxford the electric car centre of Europe have stalled.

A year ago the city was heralded as paving the way for the future of motoring.

Transport Minister Norman Baker unveiled measures to boost use of low-carbon vehicles by creating more charging points per head of population than anywhere else.

Specialist firm Chargemaster was to install “an initial” 64 as part of the £320,000 project.

But the battery-powered car revolution has fallen flat with bosses admitting there are no more charging points available now than at the fanfare launch.

Council leaders say most of the points that have been installed are not being used, with the high price of electric vehicles to blame.

Asked how many charging points there were in the city, Chargemaster chief executive David Martell said: “It is much the same as we had a year ago.”

At least 50 more were promised in Oxford and the surrounding area within a year, but there are still no more than 60.

Also announced at the launch were details of a new vehicle-sharing club provided by car hire firm Hertz on Demand which would have put 10 Nissan Leaf electric cars on the streets of Oxford. But this has also failed to materialise.

Hertz on Demand spokesman Luke Campbell said: “The partnership with the City Council and Chargemaster has faced some operational challenges. It has not developed as quickly as initially envisaged.”

John Tanner, Oxford City Council’s board member for a Cleaner, Greener Oxford, said: “The electric car revolution is taking its time.”

Back in 2010 Oxford Brookes University was involved in testing a fleet of electric Minis in Oxford, but BMW say there are no further announcement concerning the vehicles. One reason why progress on the e-car revolutuion is slow is the high cost of buying electric vehicles. The Nissan Leaf retails at £28,000.

Science writer Richard Scrase of Owens Way, Temple Cowley, drove 4,500 miles around mainland Europe in an electric car and recorded his trip in the Radio 4 series Electric Ride.

He said: “I recently looked at buying an electric car or van but they are still very expensive.”