Paralympian calls for action on EV accessibility issues

A former Paralympic athlete has called for disabled drivers to be included in the transition to electric driving.

Wheelchair athlete Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE 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 (EVs), where MPs and attendees heard from representatives from these organisations, Grey-Thompson 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." 

She said that many of the charging stations they looked at were not useable for many reasons which include the height of the charging stations, high steps, gravel, and no wide spaces.

Grey-Thompson added: “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 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 charge points for EVs.
 
British Specifications are voluntary unless referred to in legislation, so at present charge point providers, landowners and land administrators are under no legal obligation to conform with PAS 1899.

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

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 Grey-Thompson won a total of 16 Paralympic Medals - 11 gold, four silvers and one bronze. 

Grey-Thompson recently made headlines after she spoke out on BBC Radio 4's Today programme about her experience on an LNER train. 

She booked travel assistance to help her disembark the train, but after waiting 20 minutes with no staff arriving, she had to get off the train herself.

She told the BBC: "I'm going to Paris later today, I've got a few bags. I chucked them on the platform, I had to get out of my chair, sit on the floor by the door which is not pleasant and then crawl off."