Former Paralympics champion says inaccessible charging points show government ‘has forgotten about us’
Campaigners including Tanni Grey-Thompson have warned that disabled drivers are at risk of being locked out of the electric car transition because of inaccessible chargers.
The former Paralympics champion and the Electric Vehicle Association England are pushing for the government to introduce standards to ensure chargers are easy to reach.
The number of public chargers across the UK is rising rapidly, with 17,400 – two an hour – installed in the year to July. However, the lack of standards means that disabled drivers have often been unable to trust that they can use them.
Obstacles such as raised kerbs or gravelled areas often make charger points inaccessible, while touchscreens can be too high on posts or angled away when using a wheelchair. Another issue for some disabled drivers is the weight of charging cables.
