EV chargepoints need to be accessible, says Baroness Grey-Thompson

Former Paralympian calls for disabled drivers to be included in transition to electric driving

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE

Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE

One of Britain’s greatest Paralympic athletes, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, has backed calls for all public electric vehicle (EV) charging sites to have accessible charging mandated.

Baroness Grey-Thompson has added her support to the likes of ChargeSafe, Motability Foundation and RECHARGE UK in calling for government action.

Having attended a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Electric Vehicles, where MPs and attendees heard from representatives from these organisations, Baroness Grey-Thompson told RECHARGE UK about her own experience when looking to make the switch to electric driving.

She said: “We were very close to buying an electric car, but when we started looking at the accessibility of the charging stations it very quickly became apparent that it was a complete no-go.

“Many of the charging stations we looked at I would not be able to use for many reasons which include the height of the charging stations, high steps, gravel, and no wide spaces.

“One place we looked at I might have been able to use the charger but there were no accessible spaces so I could not get my chair out of the car to be able to use it. There was also an issue with lighting. One place I checked later at night felt very isolated and I was not sure I would feel safe getting out.”

As a result, the former Paralympian athlete would like to see the mandating of BSI PAS 1899:2022 – a British specification giving designers, procurers, and installers essential specifications on how to provide accessible public chargepoints for electric vehicles.

British specifications are voluntary unless referred to in legislation, so at present chargepoint providers, landowners and land administrators are under no legal obligation to conform with PAS 1899.

Baroness Grey-Thompson added: “It is appalling that it has not been considered before and that we are retrospectively trying to fight for it.”

RECHARGE UK recently called for all public EV charging sites to have minimum levels of accessible charging mandated. The group, which is the EV arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), says that mandating accessibility requirements for public electric vehicle chargepoints and surrounding environments will ensure wheelchair users always have equal access to charge their vehicle.

Baroness Jenny Randerson, who is an electric vehicle driver herself, has also called for urgent government action to address the issue and recently submitted written questions to the Lords on accessibility.

During her career Baroness Grey-Thompson won a total of 16 Paralympic medals – 11 gold, four silvers and one bronze.

She added: “It is clearly unacceptable that it has been possible to build EV charging infrastructure without accessibility. As we move to electric vehicles disabled people will experience more discrimination if they are notable to transition.”

Her message to chargepoint operators is clear: “Take responsibility for doing it and don’t hide behind lack of guidance.”

RECHARGE UK is comprised of 100 companies that are manufacturing, installing, operating, consulting on, financing and providing electricity supply to EV charging infrastructure.

Matthew Adams, transport policy manager for the REA, said: “Net zero road transport should be for everyone. We have a unique opportunity to solve concerns around accessibility that we have simply never solved at petrol pumps across the UK.

“We are currently involved in reviewing PAS 1899 to make it 100% deliverable and I’m sure once that process is complete the government will be able to use it as the basis behind mandating minimum levels of accessibility for public charging sites.

“Baroness Grey-Thompson is not the first person to call for mandating PAS 1899 and will not be the last while many charging sites are simply not accessible and not safe. Our members are consistently at the forefront of innovation, and I know they will and are working to ensure their sites are as accessible as possible, and we are here to help them and the wider industry achieve this.”

The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA) is the UK’s largest trade association for renewable energy and clean technologies with around 500 members operating across heat, transport, power and the circular economy. It is a not-for-profit organisation representing 14 sectors, ranging from biogas and renewable fuels to solar and electric vehicle charging.