One of Britain’s most successful Paralympic athletes Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE has backed calls for all public electric vehicle (EV) charging sites to have accessible charging mandated.
Baroness Grey-Thompson has added her support to the likes of ChargeSafe, Motability Foundation and RECHARGE UK in calling for Government action.
Having attended a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Electric Vehicles, where MPs and attendees heard from representatives from these organisations, Baroness Grey-Thompson told RECHARGE UK about her own experience when looking to make the switch to electric driving.
Having attended a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Electric Vehicles, where MPs and attendees heard from representatives from these organisations, Baroness Grey-Thompson told RECHARGE UK about her own experience when looking to make the switch to electric driving.
She said: “We were very close to buying an electric car but when we started looking at the accessibility of the charging stations it very quickly became apparent that it was a complete no-go. Many of the charging stations we looked at I would not be able to use for many reasons which include the height of the charging stations, high steps, gravel, and no wide spaces.
“One place we looked at I might have been able to use the charger but there were no accessible spaces so I could not get my chair out of the car to be able to use it. There was also an issue with lighting. One place I checked later at night felt very isolated and I was not sure I would feel safe getting out.”
The former Paralympian athlete would like to see the mandating of BSI PAS 1899:2022* – a British specification giving designers, procurers, and installers essential specifications on how to provide accessible public charge points for electric vehicles.
RECHARGE UK recently called for all public electric vehicle (EV) charging sites to have minimum levels of accessible charging mandated.
The group, which is the EV arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), says that mandating accessibility requirements for public electric vehicle charge points will ensure wheelchair users always have equal access to charge their vehicle.
