Councils Are Failing To Invest In Electric Car Chargers
New figures have revealed that councils throughout the country are failing to invest in charging infrastructure for electric cars…
Councils Fail to Invest In EV Infrastructure
More than half of British councils have entirely failed to invest in charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. A Freedom of Information request received responses from 216 local authorities (responsible for around 60% of the UK’s population). Of these, 52% of them hadn’t spent anything on EV chargers in the past 12 months. For perspective, the government has specifically set aside funds for councils to use via its on-street residential chargepoint scheme.
Perhaps even more damningly, 48% of councils said they either didn’t know how many chargers they intend to install in 2022 or weren’t planning for any at all. On average, councils plan on installing just 52 charging points throughout 2022. Local authorities in London are the most proactive when it comes to installing chargers. They’ve spent a collective £204,000 in 2021 so far, double the national average.
‘Not Just the Privileged Few’
Pilgrim Beart, CEO of DevicePilot, has spoken of the need to provide people with charging infrastructure fairly. He said, “I have a lot of sympathy for councils whose budgets have been stretched to breaking point by the pandemic and budget cuts, but we cannot continue to let the divide between the EV haves and have-nots grow further”. He added, “it should be the UK’s short-term goal to ensure everyone in the country can reap the benefits of EVs, not just the privileged few”.
Darren Rodwell, transport spokesperson for the Local Government Association, said that councils aren’t responsible for charge points. He said, “councils are not responsible for the provision of electric vehicle chargepoints. However, they will invest in a range of measures to help reduce carbon and other harmful emissions from transport, including investment in cycling and walking infrastructure, introducing clean-air zones, and investing in EV technology”.
Hundreds Of People Have Applied To Swap Their Cars For Mobility Credits – https://autoserveclub.co.uk/blog/hundreds-of-people-have-applied-to-swap-their-cars-for-mobility-credits/
Car Dependence: Brits Rely On Their Cars More Than Ever Before – https://autoserve.co.uk/motoring-news/car-dependence-brits-rely-on-their-cars-more-than-ever-before/
