11:59 am, May 19, 2023
The RAC has warned that the government is losing its battle to improve the standard of the charging network in England.
Ministers are currently trying to meet a Department of Transport target of ‘ensuring that every motorway service area has at least six rapid chargers by the end of 2023’.
However, new research has revealed the government remains woefully short of its goal and is set to fall below expectations.
Using statistics from charger locator service Zapmap, the automotive services outfit found that just 27 out of 119 motorway services in England currently meet six rapid charger target.
That equates to just under 23 per cent and experts are now calling on the government to make the process of installing rapid chargers more simple.
RAC EV spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘Our findings show there is much work to be done before the end of the year if the Government’s target is to be met.
‘Installing these types of units is not straightforward as connecting to the electricity grid is expensive and time consuming, but clearly more needs to be done to make this process simpler than it is currently.
‘While we understand the Government is taking steps to expedite matters, the importance of ensuring sufficient high-powered charging is readily available up and down our motorway network can’t be emphasised enough.
‘A lack of charging facilities is rapidly becoming one of the most widely quoted reasons for drivers not going electric.
‘All parties involved in making installations happen must work together to overcome this obstacle.’
The lack of chargers is one of the biggest barriers to entry into the EV market with buyers also harbouring concerns over the reliability of public charge points.
You can read what EV Experts founder, Martin Miller, had to say on the subject here.
In response to the RAC findings, an a DfT spokesperson said: ‘While 97% of motorways service areas already have charging available, industry has plans to install many 100s more chargepoints in the coming months.
‘We‘ve put more than £2bn into accelerating the transition to electric vehicles, and our £950m Rapid Charging Fund will further boost charging to support long distance journeys, including at motorway services.’
