Government delayed electric car charger plans amid criticism of lack of vision and goals

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Vital government plans to build a nationwide network of public chargers – allowing millions of drivers to power electric cars – have been delayed, I learned.

And the councils warned that there was a “lack of coherent strategic direction” on what to build and where.

Earlier this year, the government pledged to release an infrastructure strategy for electric vehicles “this fall” – but the Department of Transport (DfT) now admits that the revised target is “by the end of This year “.

Delay and wider criticism of lack of action could be embarrassing for Boris Johnson as he tries to secure international commitments on ‘coal, cars, money and trees’ at COP26 United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow.

A report based on a survey of 84 local authorities warned of a “lack of coherent strategic direction at the national level, including the lack of articulation of the vision for the future and the lack of clarity on the role that the authorities were supposed to play in the provision of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles “. ”.

The report, commissioned by the Local Government Association, stressed that there are “currently no targets in place for the delivery of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, nor specific powers or duties for local authorities,” and that “the current funding structures are too short term to allow planning”.

The need for chargers is growing rapidly, with up to 14 million electric vehicles expected to be in use in the UK by 2030, when the sale of new petrol and diesel models will be banned. However, a million households do not have off-street parking to install their own chargers.

“Urgent action is needed to expand our charging network,” said Mike Hawes, CEO of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. “Consumers will only be confident to invest in a fully electric vehicle if it is as easy to charge as it is to refuel. He argued that “the binding requirements on the infrastructure sector” were “critical”.

Documents show the government has yet to decide whether local authorities in England and Wales should be obliged to oversee the installation of chargers, or whether energy companies or charging point operators should take the ‘initiative. Public consultation on this is not expected to end until November 22, although the DfT says its infrastructure strategy is not dependent on the outcome.

The UK is ranked fourth out of 10 big economies for its readiness for electric vehicles, according to consulting firm EY, which says it “needs to optimize its charging infrastructure”.

Kerry McCarthy, Labor spokesperson for Green Transport, said: “The UK’s charging infrastructure is far from ready for mass adoption of electric vehicles by 2030.

“Many people in the UK do not have access to off-street parking, and in more remote areas the market is unlikely to rise to the challenge… Yet we know that the amount of funding given to local authorities to infrastructure charging has more than halved between 2020 and 2021, and regional inequalities in access to chargers remain enormous. “

In a report published in July, the Competition and Markets Authority criticized the deployment of charging stations in the UK for being “too slow” and leading to a “postcode lottery” for drivers.

A DfT spokesperson said: ‘The government has supported the installation of nearly 26,000 publicly accessible charging devices and has just committed an additional £ 620million to support the transition to electric vehicles , which will include accelerating the deployment of local charging infrastructure across the UK. “

The DfT encouraged local councils to use annual national funds of £ 20million “for the deployment of public charging stations in cities”.

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