Oleg Golovnev/Bigstock.com

With so many governments around the world supporting the electric car, it's hard to imagine that the technology will fail. In the UK, electric car owners enjoy a £0 tax disk, free entry into the London Congestion Zone and generous subsidies for the car purchase itself.

But has that been enough? Three years ago, when the technology was first seriously fielded, the cost of owning an electric car was high. Additionally, the threat of running out of juice would have the few electric drivers there were, clasping their annual breakdown cover policies.

The Nissan Leaf cost £26,000 in 2010, while the Renault Zoe was similarly expensive. Now, the Leaf is available for £16,000, while the Zoe, with its rent-a-battery approach, can be picked up for £14,000. These figures include government subsidies.

sainaniritu/Bigstock.com

So, the cars are cheaper, and there is a range of perks to going electric, including cheap re-charge fees.

But the number of charge points is arguably the issue. With 150 UK-wide, access to electricity is a lot better – but there is still a long way to go.

However, as a recent BBC report on the subject reveals, getting across the UK by electric car is much quicker and easier than before. Three years ago, the BBC's Brian Milligan attempted London to Edinburgh in an electric Mini. More recently, actor Robert Llewellyn attempted the same route in vastly updated technology.

Reporting speeds of up to 68mph, Llewellyn’s car certainly ran just about as fast as is legally permitted. The charge points don’t take six hours anymore, either – they take just 30 minutes to add 80 per cent to the battery’s capacity.

Sounds good, but is it enough?

To see how he got on, read the BBC report here.