The UK’s electric vehicle charging network is failing to meet the needs of disabled drivers, with not a single charge point in the country fully accessible, according to a report from MPs.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned that the Government risks “baking a serious injustice into the fabric of a major part of our national infrastructure” as the rollout continues across the UK.
Despite the creation of accessibility standards in 2022, the Motability Foundation reports that two years later, no charge points comply with these guidelines.
The committee found that many existing charge points are inaccessible to wheelchair users, being placed on kerbs or with obstructions that create difficulties.
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By 2035 1.35 million drivers with disabilities will need to access an electric car charger
MOBILITY FOUNDATION
The report highlighted a stark regional divide in the distribution of charge points across the UK. Around 43 per cent of public charge points are located in London and the South East, with just 15 per cent in rural areas of England.
While the Government is on track to reach its target of 300,000 charge points by 2030, with approximately 75,000 installed by early 2025, this uneven distribution remains problematic.
However, the committee warned that rural locations may continue to be less commercially viable for operators and could require further government intervention. The report detailed specific accessibility challenges faced by disabled drivers using the current charging infrastructure.
By 2035, an estimated 1.35 million drivers with disabilities will be partially or wholly dependent on public charge points.
The Department for Transport co-sponsored accessibility standards with the Motability Foundation in 2022 but has not mandated their use. Charge point operators and local authorities have reported needing better guidance on implementing these standards.
The DfT has now launched a review of the standard with the British Standards Institution to address practical implementation issues, with recommendations expected in early 2025.
The report criticised the Government’s slow progress in ensuring adequate charge point coverage at motorway service areas. The DfT had set an ambition for every motorway service area to have at least six ultra-rapid charge points by the end of 2023.
By January 2025, only 80 out of 114 motorway service areas had met this target.Motorway service areas are described as the “shop window” for providing driver confidence in the charging network.
In 2020, the Government announced a £950million rapid charging fund to future-proof electricity capacity on strategic roads. However nearly five years later, the DfT has yet to issue any of this funding, the report warned.
Nigel Fletcher, Chief Executive Officer of the Motability Foundation said he was encouraged to see that this report recognises that there is a risk of disabled people being “left behind” in the rollout of public charge points.
He shared: “We also believe that providers of public charging should also be taking responsibility for ensuring their infrastructure is accessible. In the Public Accounts Committee report the DfT has also acknowledged that demographic groups who are solely reliant on public charge points may have to pay more to power their EVs than those who are able to charge from home.
“This has a disproportionate impact on disabled people as we estimate that up to half of disabled motorists will be reliant on public EV charge points.”
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There are now more than 75,000 public chargers around the UK
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On accessibility concerns, the spokesperson added: “The Government is dedicated to ensuring all electric vehicle drivers, including those with disabilities, can easily access public chargepoints that meet their needs.”
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, warned of the risks of inequality in the EV charging rollout.
“Meeting numerical targets for charging points is all very well. Delivering thousands of points allowing Londoners to easily zip around the capital while leaving the rest of the UK’s network patchy is obviously an outcome to be avoided,” he said.
