As soaring fuel prices continue to dominate the headlines, Asda is looking to offer its customers an alternative - by pledging to install electric car charging points at all of its stores by the end of the year.

The retailer made the claim in Walmart’s Global Responsibility report 2012 published last week. The report, which incorporates Asda’s sustainability plans, stated that “Asda anticipates installing charging stations at all its stores by the end of 2012”.

Firm plans for the rollout were still being finalised, a spokeswoman for Asda said, but if it does go ahead on the scale promised, the retailer will have 500 charging points across the country, putting it way ahead of its rivals.

Sainsbury’s currently has 50 although a spokesman said it was “constantly assessing the local market for suitability for new charging points”. Tesco is understood to have fewer than this, while Morrisons said just one of its stores had a car charging point.

Asda’s plans also come as the war over supermarket petrol intensifies. Complaints have been made to the Office of Fair Trading after it was revealed supermarkets now sell just under half the petrol in the UK.

Fuel is also now well established as a key battleground in the supermarket price wars, with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons tying in petrol promotions with grocery shopping. Morrisons has been the most prominent - its recent ‘Fuel Britannia’ promotion offered 15p off a litre of petrol when shoppers spent over £60.

However, it is unlikely electric car points will generate the same level of promotional activity, certainly not initially. Statistics released in January revealed that only 2,149 electric cars had been sold in the UK since 2006, despite a government incentive offering drivers £5,000 towards the cost.

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