Local authorities falling behind on EV charger installations

Local authorities across the UK are falling behind on government ambitions for new Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure, due to a lack of resources and guidance.

EV charging company Liberty Charge has found that just 14% of councils have resources dedicated to delivering charge points and a lack of government funding means they can only allocate 15 hours per week to EV projects.

The government has set a target of 300,000 charge points being implemented by now, but only 10% of these have been installed, with 90% of households further than a five-minute walk away from their nearest charge point.

75% of council workers interviewed said small budgets were limiting the delivery of EV infrastructure, while 59% said a lack of government guidance on where charge points should be installed was leading to a slow rollout.

Neil Isaacson, CEO Of Liberty Charge says the report highlights a number of concerns, including the lack of support to local authorities: ‘We work very closely with many local bodies and in truth, the rollout of EV charge points is a brand new concept to many. We cannot just expect they all have the relevant experience and knowledge of how these networks work, nor can we just leave them to figure it out.

‘There needs to be a cohesive strategy from the Government as to how we tackle the challenges of resourcing, and having just 15 hours a week to dedicate to the issue is not enough to create a sufficient network for all drivers begin making the switch.’

This slow delivery comes despite the government’s Levelling Up agenda which aimed to allow less well-off areas not based in London the ability to benefit from EV’s.

The charge point rollout is also having an impact on the UK’s environmental ambitions, as one in seven drivers say they won’t switch to an EV until convenient infrastructure is in place.

70% of local authorities surveyed said government spending should be realigned to improve accessibility in deprived or rural areas, rather than be concentrated in urban environments.

Additionally, 77% believe investment should be focused on ensuring every household, regardless of postcode, has access to a charge point, as 11 million household remain without access to off-street charging at home.

Liberty Charge is also calling for additionally funding, as the company says the £50m granted to local authorities as part of the EV strategy could cover just one person in each authority for two years.

Photo by Ernest Ojeh