The name of Grant Shapps is not normally associated with the shifting tectonic plates of global economic power, but the transport secretary has reminded us about something that will shift the balance of industrial power: the rise of the electric car.

How will we get there? What will it mean? It will take time, given that only about one or two in every 100 new cars sold are pure electric – that is, battery power only, rather than hybrids such as the Toyota Prius that also feature an internal combustion engine. But the pace of adoption is accelerating for a number of reasons.