Electric car charging victory for disabled drivers… but no thanks to Labour

Disability campaigners are demanding answers after Labour peers unanimously voted against amendments to a bill in the House of Lords that could give the Government the power to enforce accessibility requirements on public electric car chargepoints.

The amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill was put forward by Conservative peer, Lord Borwick, and Green Party peer, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb. It sees the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 tweaked to say the regulation may “require the operator of a public charging or refuelling point to ensure that [it] complies with minimum specifications for placement of a chargepoint display, bay size and the height and weight of the charging cable for the purpose of ensuring accessibility for disabled people.”

Such a change was voted through by the House, with 228 members ‘content’ with the motion versus 113 ‘not content’ – but all Labour peers voted against it. The passing of the amendment means that the Government can, if it so wishes, mandate accessibility specifications for public chargepoints.

This has been seen as a victory for disability campaigners, with Graham Footer, the chief executive of Disabled Motoring UK (DMUK), telling Auto Express: “DMUK is delighted that the amendment was voted through successfully. This could be very beneficial for disabled motorists who are transitioning to electric vehicles.” 

A few years ago, the previous Conservative administration introduced the PAS1899:2022 disability standards for public charging – something that Auto Express championed at the time. However, given these are simply guidelines, rather than a legal requirement, Footer pointed out: “There is currently almost no accessible public charging infrastructure in the ground that meets PAS1899 standards, which means that disabled motorists are hugely disadvantaged when it comes to transitioning to electric vehicles.”

Looking forward, the Labour Party will be facing tough questions regarding its apparent lack of support for disabled drivers. Footer said: “We are disappointed to see that Labour Peers voted against it and would like to know why.”

Auto Express approached the Government’s Disability Unit for comment. In response, a spokesperson said: “We are fully committed to ensuring disabled drivers can easily charge their electric cars, which is why we commissioned a review into accessibility standards for chargepoints.

 “The review has now concluded, and its findings will be published shortly. We continue to work with industry on how we can further strengthen access to chargers for disabled drivers.”

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