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Campaigners such as Lady Grey-Thompson have raised alarms that drivers with disabilities risk being locked out from the transition to EVs due to charging stations that aren't accessible.

Growing Infrastructure But Barriers Remain

The count of electric vehicle charging points throughout the United Kingdom has been rising fast, with some 17,400 set up in the twelve months ending in July. Yet, the lack of standards means motorists with access needs sometimes cannot be sure they will be able to access them.

Common obstacles encompass elevated curbs, gravel surfaces, screens mounted too tall, or cables that are too heavy.

Government Steps

Lately, the Lords passed an amendment to the national infrastructure legislation that would provide power to mandate access requirements on public EV chargers.

Lady Grey-Thompson, who secured 11 Paralympic golds across five Paralympic Games, currently acts as a crossbench peer in the upper house. She frequently underscores failures in accessible transport, such as a recent incident where she was forced to crawl off a train due to absence of support.

"Individuals with disabilities have been completely forgotten about," she remarked. "I've tried to change to an EV on several occasions. It has been extremely difficult."

Sector and Campaigner Perspectives

The chief executive of EVA England, noted, "We're currently risking millions of drivers being excluded from the EV shift. Nearly half of electric car users face issues with accessibility of public charging."

She urged the government to publish its revised accessibility standard and to assume necessary authority to mandate that standard.

Research commissioned by the charitable foundation indicates the Britain has around 1.35 million disabled drivers, of which 390,000 without access to home-based EV charging.

Regulations and Forward View

Right now, just 2.3% of chargers fulfill the requirements set by the British Standards Institution. Work to ensure its PAS 1899 guideline easier to meet have slowed down.

Jamie Borwick, who tabled the amendment, cautioned that deploying inaccessible points at this time would have effects for years and limit choices for those with disabilities when conventional fuel cars are no longer sold post-2035.

"We are likely to see a significant quantity of EV stations without proper access," he noted. "You've got to design for accessibility from the outset."

The chief executive of the Motability Foundation said that charging standards should be made mandatory. "It is essential that all public charging operators are taking responsibility for making sure that their infrastructure is inclusive."

The chief executive of ChargeUK added, "No motorists should be overlooked in the EV shift, and this includes motorists requiring access accommodations."

Government Response

A transport department representative commented, "We are fully committed to guaranteeing disabled drivers can readily power up their electric cars, which is why we ordered an analysis into EV charger access guidelines."

"The review has now concluded, and its results will be released soon. We continue to work with businesses on how we can improve access to chargers for motorists with access needs."