Category: disabled

More than a third of UK councils do not provide any on-street electric vehicle charging suitable for disabled drivers, according to new Freedom of Information research by Vauxhall.

Just 111 of the 289 councils who responded said they have no on-street charge points that have either been specifically adapted for disabled drivers, or any that follow the British Standards Institution’s PAS 1899:2022 – a national accessible charging standard co-sponsored by the Motability Foundation and UK Government.

The new research is part of the brand’s ongoing Electric Streets of Britain initiative, which aims to support the 40% of UK households without off-street parking.

“Limited access to public charging is known to be a barrier for Britain’s disabled motorists wishing to switch to EVs – particularly those who have no home charging capability,” said Steve Catlin, Managing Director, Vauxhall.

“The number of councils who do not provide charging provisions specifically for those with disabilities, as highlighted in our new research, is concerning – we need to ensure that all drivers, wherever they are, can easily find and access charge points if we are hoping to bring all drivers on the UK’s electrification journey.”

Through Electric Streets of Britain, a national database has been established so UK motorists who want to have on-street residential EV chargers installed near them can register their interest. So far, over 12,000 streets have been logged as needing on-street charging across the country.