Opinion
Ask any driver what stops them switching to an electric car and most say the lack of charging infrastructure. But the UK does have an adequate and expanding network with charging in 15,000 locations and one point for every nine battery electric cars on the road. Just 1% of existing electric vehicle (EV) drivers want to switch back, but tackling the poor perception of the UK’s charging network is crucial to encourage more drivers to plug in.
One key to improving the reputation of charging in the UK is to tackle the postcode lottery. There are over 6,000 chargers in London but just 800 in Wales and the North West. Only London, Scotland and the South East have good coverage. At a local level there are even wider differences: Fenland in Cambridgeshire has just four chargers; Westminster has 650. Although London has sufficient chargers overall there are also wide variations within London with poor coverage in some outer London boroughs such as Havering.
Thousands of car and commercial vehicle drivers have been furloughed and thousands of cars and commercial vehicles have been mothballed at some period during the past 10 months as the country has been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local authorities have also not been immune to the challenges brought about by COVID-19 with higher levels of sickness placing additional workload on those who have been able to continue working. Although it’s difficult to know the exact number of council vehicles on the road, current estimates are between 50,000 and 60,000 meaning a high number of drivers and vehicles to manage in what are unprecedented times.
