The government has missed its own targets for electric car chargers at motorway service stations, according to analysis by the RAC, which was published on Tuesday.
Four motorway service areas—two at Leicester Forest on the M1, Tebay South on the M6 and Barton Park on the A1(M)—have no charging facilities at all.
‘Government Fallen Well Short of its Target’
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: “It’s clear from our research that the government has fallen well short of its target of having six high-powered chargers at every motorway service area in England.”“There is undoubtedly an eagerness among chargepoint companies and motorway service operators to install these types of units but unfortunately, it’s often the high-power cabling to the grid that’s the major barrier which is out of their hands,” he added.
Mr. Williams said: “More clearly needs to be done to make this process simpler than it is currently. Hopefully, once the government’s rapid charging fund kicks fully into action, some of these hurdles will be overcome.”
“We continue to believe that the wide availability of ultra-rapid charging is crucial in giving both current and future EV drivers confidence to know they can easily make journeys beyond the range of their vehicles in a time-efficient way,” he added.
Rapid charge points can add 100 miles of range to an electric vehicle (EV) in around 35 minutes but the absence of them, especially on motorways, is believed to be a major factor in discouraging people from buying EVs.
The Labour Party said it would restore the ban date of 2030 if it wins the general election later this year.
But Bob Bull, from the Alliance of British Drivers, told The Epoch Times there was little enthusiasm from the average motorist to switch to electric cars, and he said part of this was because of the shortage of chargers.
The government has created a £950 million rapid charging fund to support the rollout of charging points across England’s motorways and major A roads.
But the fund—which was due to be available for applications from spring 2023—has not yet opened.
A £70 million pilot scheme for up to ten motorway service areas and a consultation on the wider fund were launched in Nov. 2023.
A DfT spokeswoman told PA: “The number of public chargepoints is surging across the country and around 96 percent of motorway services now offer charging facilities for drivers.”
“As well as our £70 million pilot to help roll out ultra-rapid chargepoints on motorways, we are driving forward the biggest reforms to our electricity grid since the 1950s—halving the time it takes to build networks, and speeding up connections,” she added.
