RECHARGE UK calls for chargepoint accessibility to be mandated

RECHARGE UK, the EV arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), has called for all public electric vehicle (EV) charging sites to have accessible charging mandated.

The group says that mandating accessibility requirements for public electric vehicle chargepoints will ensure wheelchair users always have equal access to charge their vehicle.

A standard that was introduced last year has helped to ensure that charging an electric vehicle (EV) is accessible for all users, including disabled people. PAS 1899:2022 aims to provide an inclusive experience for people with accessibility needs and gives designers, procurers, and installers essential specifications on how to provide accessible public charge points for electric vehicles.

The standard is designed to enable more accessible EV charge points and covers the physical aspects of the environment surrounding fixed chargepoints (e.g. kerb height, ground type); the location, placement and spacing of chargepoints within the streetscape/public realm; the information, signals and indicators to be provided to users; and the factors to be taken into account in the design and specification of accessible chargepoints (e.g. height of chargepoint, cables and cable management systems, bollard spacing, colours used on screens, weight and force and ease of use of the equipment).

At the moment however, the adoption of this standard is voluntary.

Some leading charge point operators, such as Osprey, have already undertaken site assessments to ensure new sites are PAS 1899 compliant where possible and are assessing existing sites to retrofit where possible.

However, this is not the case everywhere and RECHARGE UK is calling for PAS 1899 to be mandated by Government.

Matthew Adams, transport policy manager at the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology) said:
 
“Electric vehicles are for everyone and all those that want to lower their carbon footprint and save on running costs by purchasing or using an EV should be able to do so. However, currently what we see is some charging infrastructure that is not built with wheelchair users and those with accessibility requirements in mind, in many cases.
 
“We have come a long way over the last few years, and the standard PAS 1899 acts as a great tool for chargepoint operators (CPOs) and landowners who are increasingly providing wheelchair accessible EV charging. However, without a mandate, some sites are not wheelchair accessible still and this means they may often find themselves being unable to use a public chargepoint, which increases their chances of running out of charge and could put off many wheelchair users and those with accessibility requirements from purchasing an EV, if they don’t think they can charge.
 
“RECHARGE UK is calling for Government to mandate that all public charging sites, where feasible, must have accessible charging mandated, as we believe electric vehicles are for everyone and we should seize the opportunity to design accessible infrastructure from the ground up as we know such sites can and often do, provide a much better experience than a petrol pump.”

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