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I’ve had a few complaints regarding handovers of electric cars. During the pandemic handovers were limited to keep customers and delivery drivers safe but with the increase in highly technical electric cars being delivered customers need a much more detailed handover.

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has launched a new industry standard for car and van deliveries by dealers.

The voluntary AFP Dealer Standard consists of 28 points covering pre-delivery standards, the condition of the vehicle on handover and familiarisation with its key functions.

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, says that the new standard aims to ensure the vehicle is delivered in excellent condition, the driver is shown how it works and treated courteously.

“The need for this kind of benchmark has become apparent over time as a number of factors have emerged,” explained Hollick.

“Probably the most significant is that cars and vans have been rapidly becoming more complex.

“The time when a driver could sit in the seat of a new model and work out all the key functions in a couple of minutes are long gone.

“Modern vehicles require a degree of familiarisation on handover – especially in instances where drivers are adopting an electric model for the first time – in order to be used safely and effectively.”

At the same time, the AFP says the pandemic and supply issues have placed dealers and the logistics sector under considerable pressure, meaning that handover standards have varied considerably.

“What we hope to encourage is a high degree of consistency in important areas such as ensuring that vehicles arrive with a high level of charge,” continued Hollick.

“Dealers can sign up to the Standard for a fee by getting in touch with the AFP and committing to meet its requirements, at which point they also become a member of the organisation.

“They can then use the Dealer Standard logo in marketing materials and tenders to promote their participation in the programme.”

In talking to major dealers as part of the creation of the project, the AFP says there is a high degree of interest.

“They recognise the importance of getting this crucial element of the fleet customer experience right and the first few who have decided to take part should be announced within a few weeks,” said Hollick.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

More than one in six of all fatal crashes involved alcohol in 2020 compared to around one in seven in previous years, figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) suggest.

Final estimates for 2020 of road casualties in Great Britain involving illegal alcohol levels revealed 220 people died in crashes where at least one driver was over the drink-drive limit compared to 230 in 2019.

Over the same period, the total number of crashes where at least one driver was over the alcohol limit was 4,620 in 2020, an average of 12 crashes a day.

Of these crashes, an estimated 1,070 were serious accidents, representing an average of around 26 serious accidents a week and only a minor fall from 1,390 in 2019.

A total of 6,480 people were killed or injured in drink drive accidents, compared with 7,800 the year before.

Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “While there has been a small reduction in the number of drink-driving related deaths and injuries compared to 2019, when you factor in the reduction in traffic due to Covid-19, the role of alcohol in fatal crashes actually went up.” 

According to separate DfT data, traffic was down by a quarter overall in 2020 – with weekdays slumping to 35% of pre-Covid levels in April.

“Possibly as a result, police carried out the lowest number of breath tests on record – nearly 50,000 fewer than in 2019,” said Hunter Abbott, managing director of breathalyser firm AlcoSense.

“Yet research shows a significant rise in alcohol consumption at home during lockdown, increasing the likelihood of ‘morning after’ drink driving.”

He added: “Police should also be testing more drivers involved in an accident. In 2020 this had declined to 39% compared with 54% in 2010.

“Of those actually tested following a collision 3,278 were over the limit – at 5.6%, that’s the highest failure rate for 10 years”.

The Scottish Government reduced the alcohol limit for drivers in 2014, from 80mg per 100 millilitres of blood to 50mg. However, the legal limit in the rest of the UK remains 80mg, the highest level in the developed world.

Scientific research shows that at the limit in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, despite not breaking the law, you are 13 times more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than when sober.

But in a poll conducted by AlcoSense, more than a third of motorists (36%) think their ability to drive is only impaired if they are actually over the legal drink drive limit.

Greig said: “There is no one simple answer to reducing these figures, but IAM RoadSmart believes a much smarter package of measures is needed from the Government including a lower drink-drive limit to reinforce good behaviour, fast-track of evidential roadside testing machines to release police resources and tailored approaches to help drivers with alcohol problems.

“Rehabilitation courses work, and we believe all those convicted of drink-driving should be sent on one automatically rather than having to opt in.

“More use of alcolocks – which require the driver to blow into a mouthpiece on the device before starting or continuing to operate the vehicle – and extra penalties such as vehicle forfeiture could all be part of a more joined-up approach to the problem.

“Hard core drink-drivers are simply not getting the message, and these figures will not improve until policy changes.”

Analysis by Brake shows that, between 2012 and 2019, there were a staggering 46,860 drink-driving-related crashes, causing 1,860 deaths and 13,340 serious injuries.

Jason Wakeford, head of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said: “We need to change the culture around drink-driving, starting with more awareness that any amount can be deadly.

“While measures such as effective ongoing police enforcement and public information campaigns, including Think!, are helping to reduce deaths and injuries, Government should follow Scotland’s lead and reduce the legal limit. Such a move would make it clear to drivers that no amount of alcohol is safe when behind the wheel.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

I have a view on this piece. We don’t need on-street charging, first of all because the chargers that can be rigged up to street lights are the slowest you can get so even a small top-up can take hours whereas take your car to a local supermarket and you can top up quickly whilst shopping.

We certainly need more charge points in rural areas but most of those living in such areas can connect a charger to their house. A bit of creative thinking, as I point out in my book, could result in the Government subsidising the installation of chargers at Farm Shops, Garden Centres, Pubs, Shops and even Church car parks.

They will not only provide a charging facility but also encourage customers/worshipers. That’s what I think!

On to the report:

New figures show the growing disparity between the relative success of electric vehicle (EV) charging device grant schemes.

The Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show there are more 250,000 home charging devices, but just 2,038 devices installed through the on-street residential charging scheme.

As of January 1, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) funded grant schemes – the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) and its predecessor the Domestic Recharging Scheme (DRS) – had delivered 277,030 domestic charging devices since 2013, with 88,624 device installations funded since January 1, 2021, an increase of almost 60%.

Meanwhile, the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) had funded the installation of 22,977 sockets in workplace carparks at the start of the year since the scheme started in 2016.

It had funded 9,648 sockets installations since January 1, 2021, an increase of 72%.

However, as of January 1, the On-Street Residential Charge Point Scheme (ORCS) had funded just 2,038 public charging devices for local authorities in the UK.

The DfT says that 435 on-street charging devices were installed after being claimed for by the local authorities in the previous three months, while funding has also been awarded for 4,539 additional ORCS charging devices to be installed in the future.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “On-street residential charge points are key for the 40% of households without dedicated off-street parking and we need to see significant investment in this area.

“As a previous AA investigation showed, many councils don’t have plans to install on-street chargers and some that have been granted funds have used it to install in town centre car parks.”

The AA found that just one in six English councils had installed on-street charge points in residential areas in 2020.

Cousens continued: “There is also a danger that policy-makers think on-street charging is only an urban issue, but there are many rural communities that need on-street charging infrastructure.”

The AA is also urging the Treasury to cut VAT to 5% for on-street charging, mirroring domestic charging rates to avoid the creation of a two-tier system.

“We also believe that the scaling back of the home charging grant from 1 April sendt the wrong message at a time when EV sales are booming.

“With the right incentives and support, the Chancellor could have turbo-charge the electric revolution in his Spring Statement.”

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has been asking fleet owners and operators to provide information on the locations of their current and expected demand for kerbside charging facilities.

It is using the data to construct a national map showing street-by-street demand for electric vehicle (EV) kerbside charging. By Graham Hill Thanks To Fleet News

Harrow Council fined almost 8,000 motorists in less than two years for driving into a 39ft bus lane in London.

The bus lane – not much longer than the length of a double-decker – is situated on a section of Northolt Road in South Harrow, RAC reports.

Data has revealed that 7,854 drivers were caught using the north-west London route illegally between April 2019 and the end of 2021, pocketing the council a total of £442,363.

The scale of the number of fines issued came to light after motorist Geoffrey Ben-Nathan, submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Harrow Council.

He successfully overturned the fine he received after accidentally driving into the bus lane.

The local authority said it was against the law for motorists to use the lane, but the way the road is laid out and signposted has led some people, including Ben-Nathan, to believe they have been treated unfairly.

The retired businessman argued his case at a tribunal, telling adjudicators that the signage on the approach to the lane is ‘unclear’ and will lead to many other people getting fined.

The tribunal heard that most restrictions along Northolt Road only apply at certain times of the day. But this becomes a 24/7 restriction for the small section of the route at the junction with Alexandra Avenue.

Ben-Nathan, of Northwick Park, said the FOI figures show that most drivers who are caught will “simply pay up”.

RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said: “Signage and road layout are crucially important when it comes to enforcing any bus lane, and anywhere a local authority is dishing out a high volume of penalty charge notices for a single location should sound alarm bells about the design of the scheme.”

In its response, Harrow Council said it believes that “the signage here is clear and in accordance with the law”. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Any UK business or motorist who bought or leased a new car, van or truck between October 2006 and September 2015 could be eligible for compensation of up to £60 per vehicle.

The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has given the green light to a class action against multiple maritime car carriers who operated an illegal cartel to manipulate car shipping prices.

More than 17 million cars, vans and trucks are said to been affected by a price-fixing scheme run by several international shipping firms.

The proceedings against Nissan Motor Car Carrier Co, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, Eukor Car Carriers Inc and Compañía Sudamericana de Vapores SA were filed in February 2020.

It followed the European Commission’s decision in 2018 to fine these shipping companies €395 million (£329m) for fixed prices and rigged bids for roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) transport of vehicles.

The EC found that the shippers had coordinated rates, allocated tenders, coordinated reductions of capacity in the market and exchanged commercially sensitive information to maintain or increase the price of intercontinental shipping of new vehicles.

When buying or leasing new vehicles, consumers and businesses pay for delivery costs and the class action aims to help that those who were overcharged get their money back.

If the collective action, which has been filed by consumer rights champion Mark McLaren, is successful, anyone who bought or leased an affected vehicle will be automatically entitled to compensation.

Customers affected include those who bought from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen, Peugeot, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Citroen and Renault between October 2006 and September 2015.

The claim value is up to £60 per new car bought or leased and class members will be able to claim in respect of more than one vehicle.

McLaren has instructed Scott+Scott UK LLP as solicitors on behalf of consumers and businesses who purchased or leased new cars or vans, to proceed to trial.

He said: “The CPO (Collective Proceedings Order) is a crucial step in our case, and we are delighted at the CAT’s decision to authorise our claim to move forward.

“We look forward to securing compensation for the millions of UK consumers impacted by the cartelists’ illegal behavior.”

The claim, estimated to be worth £150 million, seeks to recover damages for individual customers and businesses who overpaid for their car as a result of higher delivery charges.

This differs, says McLaren, differs from earlier claims filed in relation to the RoRo cartel that represented car manufacturers.

David Scott, of Scott+Scott UK LLP, said: “This is an important judgment for class members, but also for the UK collective actions regime as a whole.

“When granting the collective proceedings order, the Tribunal correctly noted that collective proceedings such as this claim are important for ensuring that wrongdoers like the shipping companies modify their behaviour.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The latest Government data suggests that more than one in six speeding offences detected by police forces in England and Wales ends up being cancelled.

During 2020-21, some 2,426,950 cases of speeding were recorded by constabularies in the two countries and later reported to the Home Office. However, 404,335 (17%) of these were later cancelled.

Analysis by the RAC Foundation analysis suggests that in 2019-20, there were 330,623 cancellations, 13% of the 2,584,571 speeding offences detected in that year.

The reasons why offences go on to be cancelled is not recorded but could involve faulty or incorrectly calibrated speed cameras, cloned vehicles carrying a false number plate; emergency vehicles lawfully breaking the speed limit whilst driving with blue lights; a delay in issuing notices of intended prosecution; or a lack of resources to bring cases to court.

Of the instances of speeding that didn’t get cancelled almost one million (977,587) – 40% of the 2,426,950 total – were disposed of with a speed awareness course; 762,336 (31%) ended in a fixed penalty notice; and 233,080 (10%) ended in court action.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “It is correct that drivers caught speeding should face the consequences, but it is also important that the systems of detection and prosecution are robust.

“The hundreds of thousands of ‘cancelled’ offences each year indicate they are not. At the very least it is an administrative burden the police could do without.

“We urge the Home Office to start collecting data from police forces about these cancelled offences so we can understand where the problem lies.”

The highest proportions of speeding cases that ended up being cancelled were seen in Greater Manchester and Warwickshire, both at 39%.

Wiltshire had the lowest proportion of speeding offences cancelled at just 2%. Wiltshire also detected the lowest number of speeding drivers (912), probably because it has no fixed speed cameras.

The 2,426,950 speeding cases detected in 2020-21 – a period which included travel restrictions imposed to combat Covid – was down 6% on the previous year.

However, the annual fall in traffic volume was greater, down 26% across Great Britain (259 billion vehicle miles driven in 2020-21 compared with 352 billion vehicle miles in 2019-20).

The vast majority (96%) of speeding offences were detected by cameras.

There also continues to be large disparities between forces in the number of speeding offences detected.

The top five forces for speeding offence detection in 2020-21 were:

Metropolitan Police Service and City of London – 262,280 (up 22% compared with 2019-20)

West Yorkshire – 180,432 (+2%)

Greater Manchester – 178,123 (+13%)

Lincolnshire – 123,533 (+90%) – however, news reports suggest at least 19,000 drivers were wrongly identified as committing an offence because of a camera error

Thames Valley – 100,622 (-19%)

The constabulary-level variations in detection rates are likely to be for a variety of reasons, including: length of the road network, road type, traffic volume and makeup, local priorities dictated by police and crime commissioners, financial and human resources, and the availability of detection technology.

Dr Adam Snow, a lecturer at the Law School of Liverpool John Moores University, who worked on the report, said: “Police forces and local authorities are seeing number plate cloning as a growing problem.

“With the increasing reliance on camera enforcement for clean air zones and moving traffic violations there is some evidence to suggest more motorists are seeing this as an acceptable response even though it is fraud.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Wales’ first high-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub has opened in Swansea as part of Gridserve and Moto’s UK-wide roll out of charging infrastructure.

The Electric Hub, part of the Gridserve Electric Highway has six 350kW high-power EV charge points, with the ability to add a further six charge points when required.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve, said: “This is a landmark project for Gridserve and Moto and the first high-power charging facility of its kind for Wales.

“We’re really excited to be demonstrating that all parts of the UK should be able to embrace the EV revolution.”

The launch comes in the wake of a proposal from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), for a new regulator called Ofcharge to govern targets and ensure every part of the country has accessible, available and affordable charging for their EV.

Part of a new seven-point plan, published yesterday (Wednesday, February 15) by the SMMT, the automotive trade body says that, while most current plug-in car drivers charge at home, public charge points remain critical to consumer confidence and are still relied upon by many fleets, as well as the third of British households that do not have designated off-street parking.

Harper said: “We cannot let a lack of infrastructure prevent drivers from realising the myriad of benefits that come with driving an electric vehicle.

“This project will help deliver the confidence for more people to make the switch to EVs, as well as support the growing number of people who already have.”

Lack of public charging infrastructure is a known barrier to EV adoption and has historically led to regional disparities in EV registrations.

Currently, Wales has one of the lowest numbers of EV charge points per head of population in the UK and Southwest Wales – where Gridserve’s Electric Hub is located – has just half the average proportion of EVs when compared to the rest of the UK.

Harper continued: “Thanks to partners like Moto, we are rapidly upgrading Britain’s motorway charging network and are prioritising areas of the UK that currently lack adequate charging infrastructure, by deploying more high-power Electric Hubs and Electric Forecourts.

“The Electric Hub at Moto Swansea is the first of many projects that we are aiming to deliver across Wales.”

Located at junction 47 on the M4 at Moto Swansea, All of the chargers at the new Swansea charging hub will be supplied with 100% net zero carbon energy from Gridserve’s solar farms, accept contactless payment and have the ability to deliver 100-miles of range in less than 10 minutes.

The Welsh government’s Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy for Wales commits to delivering 4,000 rapid chargers across the country over the next decade – of which just 3% are already installed.

Gridserve says it is looking at further sites in Wales for the development of future Electric Hubs and Electric Forecourts to help boost charging in the country and give people the confidence to make the switch to electric vehicles.

Ken McMeikan, CEO of Moto, said: “We are accelerating our ambition to open Ultra Rapid Charging Hubs at all of our Motorway Service Areas over the coming 12 months and are delighted with the progress that our partnership with Gridserve is making.

“We launched our first EV Hub with 24 Ultra Rapid chargers at Moto Rugby last year and EV drivers have loved it, we are super confident we’ll see the same level of success here at Moto Swansea.”

More than 20 Electric Hubs – each consisting of 6-12 x 350kW ultra high-power chargers – are due to open at motorway services across the UK by the end of Q2 2022, with large numbers of additional Electric Hub sites being lined up to follow, says Gridserve.

Since its acquisition of Ecotricity’s Electric Highway in June of last year, the company says it has already invested tens of millions of pounds in upgrading the network.

In addition to opening the first Electric Hub at Moto Rugby, the company has replaced more than 300 historical Ecotricity DC rapid chargers and has installed 130 additional AC chargers, ensuring that the charging needs for all types of electric vehicles are catered for.

Gridserve is also progressing plans to deliver more than 100 Electric Forecourts across the UK, with sites at Gatwick Airport and Norwich already in construction, and more sites in development.

Gridserve opened the UK’s first Electric Forecourt® close to Braintree, Essex in December 2020.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Treasury is being urged to cut VAT on electricity to 5% for public charge points to match the rates that homeowners with their own charging posts benefit from.

The AA says that more should be done to help electric vehicle (EV) drivers without access to off-street parking who cannot benefit from home charging at preferential rates.

It is estimated that about 40% of households do not have access to off-street parking or are in rental accommodation so are not able to charge their EV at home. 

Edmund King, AA president and an EV driver, is concerned that a two-tier system could emerge where the 40% of households without dedicated off-street parking pay considerably more to charge than those with a driveway, garage or parking space.

“More on-street residential charging options are essential as drivers won’t always want to travel to a rapid charging station,” he said.

“Cutting VAT on public charging to 5% in residential and urban areas so it mirrors tax rates on domestic energy would be a good start and make EV ownership more affordable for those without off-street parking.”

The AA’s call for a cut in VAT for electricity from public charge echoes that of FairCharge, which launched earlier this month.

FairCharge says EV owners who are not able to charge at home pay four times more tax for their electricity from public on-street networks.

Currently, VAT on domestic electricity is charged at 5% whereas those using public charge points have to pay 20% VAT.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The rollout of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers is failing to keep pace with the installation of less powerful public electric vehicle (EV) charge points, new data suggests. 

Less than a fifth (17%) of new installations last year were either rapid or ultra-rapid devices, according to RAC analysis of Government statistics.

The number of public EV chargers increased by 7,600 – a rise of 37% – in 2021, and by a further 604 in January 2022, taking the total in the UK to 28,979.

As of the start of this month, 5,279 – or 18% – of all public chargers were rapid or ultra-rapid devices, leaving motorists in most cases having to rely on the 23,700 non-rapid chargers when away from home.

What’s more, the number of faster chargers as a proportion of all the chargers installed reduced by 1% year-on-year.

While 6,324 non-rapid chargers were installed during 2021, nearly double the number than the year before (96% more), just 1,276 new rapid or ultra-rapid chargers were put in over the same period – which is only 21% more than were installed in 2020.

The RAC believes that as well as helping drivers for whom home charging isn’t possible make the switch to electric, having sufficient rapid and ultra-rapid chargers – ideally as part of charging hubs across the country – is also important in making it easier for electric car drivers to make longer trips.

RAC director of EVs, Sarah Winward-Kotecha, welcomed the increase in new public chargers for electric cars. Between October and December alone, nearly 2,500 were installed, which is the highest ever number fitted in any three-month period.

“Having enough public chargers is vital to encouraging the mass take-up of electric cars, but that’s only one part of the jigsaw – the speed of these chargers is also extremely important,” she said.

“The greater the number of truly rapid chargers, the easier charging becomes on longer trips and the more often charging spaces can be turned over and used by other drivers.”

The RAC analysis comes after a call from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) for a new regulator called Ofcharge to govern targets and ensure every part of the country has accessible, available and affordable charging for their EV.

Part of a new seven-point plan, published on Wednesday (February 15), the automotive trade body says that, while most current plug-in car drivers charge at home, public charge points remain critical to consumer confidence and are still relied upon by many fleets, as well as the third of British households that do not have designated off-street parking.

Winward-Kotecha said: “From a convenience perspective, having the fastest possible public chargers available to drivers really is a win-win charging experience – providing they are priced fairly.

“These latest figures show we still have a long way to go. The number of public chargers isn’t keeping pace with the volume of new electric cars coming onto the road, and only a minority of devices being installed are rapid or ultra-rapid.

“This creates a real problem for motorists who rely on the public network because they can’t charge at home. And while slow chargers are fine for somebody who leaves their car at an office while they’re at work, they’re a lot less helpful in other places like supermarkets where a driver’s vehicle will be parked for a shorter period.

“What we don’t want to see are queues for charge points becoming a common sight as the electric revolution gathers pace.”

In order to speed up the switch to electric cars by removing many of the barriers currently facing drivers, the RAC has helped found the FairCharge campaign.

FairCharge aims to ensure the environmental, economic and social benefits of the electric car revolution are properly harnessed by pushing key EV issues to the forefront of the political agenda such as the cost, availability and speed of charging as well as battery range and the affordability of switching to an electric car.

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The experience of using public electric vehicle (EV) charge points has been slammed, with complicated payment methods and poor reliability major issues, new research suggests.

Three of the five most significant barriers to people choosing an electric car relate to anxiety about charging, with a third (33%) citing a lack of charge points on long journeys and more than one-in-four (29%) respondents to the Which? survey concerned about a lack of charge points close to their home.

Launching a policy paper on improving EV infrastructure across the UK, Which? says that there is an urgent need to improve the consumer experience of using public charge points, which is often “frustrating and inconvenient”.

It is calling for a major upgrade to the UK’s electric car public charging system infrastructure, with the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) estimating there will be eight million drivers across the UK who will not have the ability to charge an EV from home.

Currently, the Which? research reveals that only 13% of electric and plug-in hybrid car charging currently happens via public chargers.

However, as the UK approaches the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars in 2030 and drivers switch to electric, the number of people who will be completely reliant on public charging will rise starkly.

This is why it is vital that access to the public charging network is improved, as well as the experience of using it, it says.

Sue Davies, Which? head of consumer protection policy, explained: “Our research shows that few electric vehicle owners currently rely on the public charging network, but this will have to change if millions of people are going to switch from petrol and diesel vehicles in the next decade.

“Improving the UK’s flawed charging infrastructure will support more motorists to make the switch to a zero-emission vehicle.

“The current confusing and complex system needs to be quickly overhauled if the network is “going to be ready for the ban on new fossil fuel cars in 2030.

Charging must be easy, accessible and affordable if people are going to make the move to an electric car.’

“To that end, we are today publishing our first electric vehicle charging policy paper that sets out our recommendations for the future of public charging infrastructure across the UK nations.”

The Which? research and policy paper comes in the wake of a proposal from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), for a new regulator called Ofcharge to govern targets and ensure every part of the country has accessible, available and affordable charging for their EV.

Part of a new seven-point plan, published yesterday (Wednesday, February 15) by the SMMT, the automotive trade body says that, while most current plug-in car drivers charge at home, public charge points remain critical to consumer confidence and are still relied upon by many fleets, as well as the third of British households that do not have designated off-street parking.

Tanya Sinclair, policy director for the UK and Ireland at ChargePoint, agreed that EV charging points are vital for the UK to achieve widespread EV uptake, and it is necessary to get this infrastructure in place to remove key logistical barriers to consumer adoption.

However, she said: “It is important that this is done in the right way – it’s not just about needing a large concentration of charging stations but the speed, location, ease of use and incentives need to be carefully considered.

“Governments and councils should be actively enabling and facilitating EV charging infrastructure. The DfT must come through on its commitment to standardise the driver’s experience of charging by mandating roaming and enforcing minimum uptime for charging stations, which we hope to see in the much overdue EV Infrastructure Strategy.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News