Electric car switch in jeopardy with councils 'wasting time' installing 'very slow' chargers
Many councils are unprepared for the EV switch
PA
More than 70 per cent of UK councils do not have a strategy when it comes to providing drivers in residential areas with electric car charging points.
New data suggests that 69 per cent of councils and local authorities across the UK have not yet installed any on-street EV chargers.
A total of 414 councils and local authorities responded to the Freedom of Information application from Vauxhall, finding that many were unprepared for the switch to electric vehicles.
Almost half of all survey respondents announced that they had no plans to install on-street chargers over the rest of the year.
More than 70 per cent of councils don't have a strategy when it comes to providing EV chargers in residential areas.
PA
According to the Zap Map database, there are almost 46,000 devices and 73,000 connectors across the UK, as of July 2023.
The Government aims to have around 300,000 public chargers across the UK by the end of the decade in anticipation of the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles.
James Taylor, managing director of Vauxhall, said: “On-street charging provision will help residents without off-street parking to conveniently charge their EVs, but the benefits extend beyond private motorists.
“An estimated four in 10 company-owned electric vans are charged at home by employees, so the widespread availability of charge points will support businesses to go electric by helping van drivers to top up both at home and, as destination chargers, when they are attending residential jobs.”
Most councils offer residents the chance to apply for an electric car charging point in their area via the council’s website.
Drivers can suggest a potential location for the charger, with various councils offering different solutions including lamp column chargers and dedicated parking bays.
Other councils have announced plans to unveil EV charging strategy documents in the near future, in preparation for the widespread uptake of electric cars.
Asif Ghafoor, CEO and co-founder of Be.EV, commented on the data, saying that councils around the country have “no idea where to start”.
He added: “Nine times out of 10 once local authorities realise how complicated EV charging is they either file the report and do nothing or ignore it and turn a couple of hundred lamp posts into cheap and cheerful, very slow chargers.
“Many of these chargers end up broken or remain unused, and installing them is just a box-checking exercise for local councils. In three years’ time, we’ll be replacing them with faster models, or switching them off because they aren’t used.
“They’re not futureproof, they’re just clutter. Councils are wasting their time installing them.”
Mr Ghafoor said that ultra-rapid chargers should be rolled out to provide charging opportunities to all households within a 10-minute walking radius.
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Many councils do not have plans to install any public chargers this year
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He argued that if the Government was truly committed to rolling out enough public chargers, there should be a large investment in infrastructure, community hubs and education.