Campaign group FairCharge and the RAC have launched a new public EV charging charter to improve the charging experience and boost EV adoption.
The groups have written to the secretary of state for Energy Security and Net Zero to support the campaign. The Charter aims to raise standards and safety, improve access and reliability, and lower consumer costs.
The charter is supported by Robert Llewellyn’s Fully Charged Show, trade body Recharge UK, and EV disability group ChargeSafe, and calls for the implementation of higher standards across the UK EV charging sector.
FairCharge and the RAC want the charter to become a minimum set of standards for government, local authorities, landowners and charge point operators.
🚗🔌@fairchargeuk and @TheRAC_UK call for the Government to back the UK’s first EV charging charter to boost EV adoption. Mirroring recommendations in #RECHARGEUK‘s report, it aims to raise standards and safety, improve access and reduce consumer costs.https://t.co/vGIDuThj14
— REA (@REAssociation) September 7, 2023
FairCharge founder Quentin Willson said: “I’ve this week written to the new energy secretary urging her to support this campaign and help boost the UK’s energy independence and security. We’ve produced this charter after talking to hundreds of EV drivers and it represents their wish list for building a world-class public charging network. government, operators, councils, and local authorities should reflect on what these pioneering drivers of EVs have told us. Only by carefully listening to those who have already driven electric cars for years will this country get the charging infrastructure and EV policies to be fit for the future.”
The charter’s recommendations include a 99% charger reliability guarantee, clear information for consumers on working and non-working chargers along with a 48-hour repair target. In July, the Department for Transport published the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023, which also requires chargepoints to be reliable 99% of the time.
The charter also calls for signs on major roads and motorways to show the locations of chargepoints, and for chargepoint operators (CPOs) to make sure the price per kWh is always clearly displayed. Chargers should be located in safe, well-lit areas, and be accessible to all drivers, regardless of physical abilities.
Terms and conditions for parking operators and local councils should be clear and unambiguous, and should not allow parking while charging to become a revenue stream, while payment should be easy and use contactless cards without the need to download apps.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “As the market for electric cars really starts to open up in the UK, it’s vital we have enough public chargers in enough locations to make charging as straightforward as possible. But quality is as important as quantity: drivers will quickly become frustrated if they discover chargers that aren’t working, or they can’t clearly see how much they’re going to pay before they plug in. And for those with specific accessibility needs, having chargers that meet the new British Standard is absolutely vital.”
Recharge UK, the EV arm of the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), ChargeSafe and FairCharge have all recently called for all charging sites to have accessible charging mandated. FairCharge and the RAC also continue to campaign for a reduction in VAT on public charging from 20% to five.
Current± publisher Solar Media is hosting its EV World Congress event in London this 10-11 October. The conference will focus on some of the key discussion points from across the EV sector including delivering coherent EV charging strategies, whether the UK is on course for its 2030 charging target, vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology and more. More information, including how to attend, can be read here.