Move to Improve Access to EV Chargepoints

Transport Focus has responded to a new amendment made to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which will help ensure that disabled people are not left behind by the transition to EVs.

The amendment gives the Government powers to mandate public charging standards by law if the accessibility of public chargers does not improve.  

“This is an important step forward for disabled drivers who often face considerable challenges in accessing public EV chargepoints,” said Louise Collins, Director at Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users.

“Knowing the government has the power to mandate accessibility standards should encourage the industry to move faster and gives confidence that action will be taken if progress is too slow.

“We need to see a clear and ambitious timescale for the industry to work to including a minimum number of accessible chargepoints. Failing to set out a clear plan now risks leaving disabled drivers behind today and a major, expensive retrofit job in the future.”

Transport Focus’s report Plugging the gap – the need to improve the EV charging experience for disabled drivers report sets out what needs to change to address the situation and to improve the provision and experience for EV users. 

To find out more about Transport Focus visit https://www.transportfocus.org.uk/