Vauxhall is working with charge point operators to help millions of potential electric vehicle (EV) drivers who lack on-street charging options. An investigation shows that over 70% of UK councils have no strategy for residential on-street charging and 69% have not installed any chargers.
The data from 289 councils also shows that only 14,188 new charge points are planned for this year, far below the Government’s goal of 300,000 by 2030.
Vauxhall, which will go fully electric by 2028, has launched the ‘Electric Streets of Britain’ programme to support councils in providing on-street charging solutions. It has also created an ‘Enablement Fund’ with char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge to help councils assess the demand and options for on-street charging.
Vauxhall has also set up a website at http://electricstreets.co.uk/ where the public can register their needs and help councils identify where on-street charging is most needed.
Vauxhall says on-street charging is vital for EV adoption as most EV charging is done at home2. But 40% of UK households, and 60% in urban areas, have no driveway or off-street parking. On-street charging solutions include lamp post chargers and pavement bollards. London will have 19,105 on-street chargers soon, more than twice the number in the rest of the UK. But 45% of UK councils have no plans to install any this year.
James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, comments:
“Accessibility to charge points near your home is critical to the transition to electric vehicle ownership in the UK. We want to galvanise the needs and interests of everyone, from the public to the councils and the charging operators to make sure that anyone without a driveway is part of that journey. We want to help educate and inform the decision-makers, and enable the installation of more chargers, more quickly.”
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