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Only 2.3% of the UK’s on-street EV chargers are adapted to be accessible for disabled motorists, according to Freedom of Information research by Vauxhall.
The new findings assessed the extent of consideration for disabled drivers by local authorities when installing on-street residential chargers.
James Taylor, MD, Vauxhall, said: “As this new research very clearly demonstrates, accessibility is an area of electric vehicle charging infrastructure which requires immediate attention.
“The focus typically falls on charger numbers and charging times, but accessibility is a fundamental factor in ensuring the switch to EVs is both practical and inclusive.
“Currently, this is a significant barrier for Britain’s disabled motorists wishing to switch to EVs – particularly those who have no home charging capability.”
223 councils provided data which suggested only 450 of the recorded 19,456 on-street charge points in the UK have been adapted to consider disabled drivers.
Only 105 (0.5%) on-street charge points are positioned in disabled parking bays while just 238 (1.2%) conform to the British Standards Institution’s PAS 1899:2022, guidelines introduced in 2022 to provide a minimum standard accessibility of public charge points.
Research by leading disability support charity the Motability Foundation, estimates that 1.35 million disabled drivers will be reliant on public charging infrastructure by 2035.
Taylor said: “It is imperative that the switch to electric is made possible for all, and at Vauxhall we want to ensure everybody is brought along on this journey.
“While there are recent set guidelines in place to support disabled drivers, they are not mandatory. Our research shows that their implementation is very limited and that needs to change if on-street charging provision is to meet the needs of all motorists.”