EV drivers call for better public charging facilities

Interventions are needed to improve the reliability, payments and pricing transparency of public electric vehicle (EV) charge points, a new survey conducted by the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) has revealed. 

A survey conducted by the Electric Vehicle Association (EVA) England has revealed the importance of public chargers, with 92% of drivers relying on the public charging network at least once a month. 

Based on the findings in this survey, EVA England has made the following recommendations to the government: 

• Chargepoints should offer a choice between three standardised payment methods: 1) A contactless credit or debit card 2) A ‘universal’ charge card 3) A smartphone app
• The government should mandate that Charge Point Operators enable roaming and allow for drivers to use one app or card on all networks.
• Government should mandate a minimum amount of data that must be made open in a standardised format to EV drivers to better equip drivers to plan their charges along the public charging network.
• All prices for electricity sold at EV charging sites should be stated in pence/kWh.
• Government should work with the EV charge point industry to establish a roadmap to mandate 99% reliability and 24/7 helpline availability within agreed timescales.
• Standardised signage should be increased in terms of both number and visibility both at the site of the charge point as well as on a range of approach roads.

Gill Nowell, media spokesperson and a Director at EVA England said: ‘There are many benefits of making the electric switch, from the pleasure of driving to improving local air quality. With automotive manufacturers, fleets and businesses all now choosing to go electric, we need to improve the consumer experience at public charge points to take EV adoption mainstream.

‘Based on the outputs of this survey, paving the road for the mass adoption of EVs looks like contactless card payments, roaming, consistent chargepoint reliability, simplified billing, and easy access to information about what chargers are where.

‘We recognise that the pace of chargepoint deployment is increasing and that the infrastructure going in the ground today is greatly improved from that which was being installed even five years ago. However, we encourage government to intervene now in order to ensure that all charging infrastructure is reliable, safe and user-friendly, across all driver groups.’

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