The Department for Transport has partnered with Motability and commissioned the British Standards to develop accessibility standards for electric vehicle (EV) charge points across the UK, which will provide drivers with new and clear definitions of ‘fully accessible’, ‘partially accessible’, and ‘not accessible’ public EV charge points.
A GOV.UK press release says that the new standards will provide guidance to the EV industry, and will consider aspects such as kerb height, adequate spacing between bollards, and charge points being of a height accessible to wheelchair users.
The Office for Zero-Emission Vehicles, Motability, and the British Standards Institute will be working with industry stakeholders including electric vehicle charge point operators, disability charities, and innovators to ensure that the consumer can find the right charge points.
Transport minister Rachel Maclean said: “With sales of EVs increasing and the government’s net-zero ambitions accelerating, I want to make it as easy as possible for EV drivers to charge up their vehicles at public charge points right across the UK, regardless of their mobility.”
She added that the government was taking action to provide accessibility guidance to operators and drivers to ensure that the transition to zero-emission motoring will benefit the whole society.
Barry Le Grys, the chief executive at Motability, explained that there is a risk that disabled people could be left behind during the UK’s transition to EVs, and the charity wanted to make sure that that doesn’t happen.
“We welcome the interest from government in our research on electric vehicle charging and accessibility and we are excited about our partnership with the Office of Zero Emissions Vehicles to further this work”, he said.
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15 July,2021
