Ampol chief executive Matt Halliday says securing connections for new electric vehicle charging bays is taking “much longer” than expected, delaying the rollout of infrastructure that is essential to give consumers the confidence to switch from a traditional vehicle.

Speaking after the petrol and diesel supplier posted a 68 per cent slump in benchmark full-year profit, dragged down by a slide into a loss at its oil refinery, Halliday said that fuel demand in Australia hit a fresh all-time high, despite policy support for electric vehicles.