Recommendation 5

The interests of drivers with disabilities have been left behind in the rollout of public charge points. By 2035, 1.35 million drivers with disabilities are expected to be partially or wholly dependent on public charge points, but many charge points, or their surrounding environment, have features which make them inaccessible. The Department co–sponsored the creation of a standard for charge point accessibility. However, the Department has not mandated its use and the Motability Foundation report that two years 6 on from its launch, there are still no charge points in the UK which are fully compliant with the standard. Charge point operators and local authorities have reported that they need to better understand what compliance with the standard means in practice. In response, the Department put in place a review of the standard to identify practical issues with it, and to understand what actions may be needed to improve charge point accessibility. This could include working with other countries to align accessibility standards, which would help build international supply chains for components. Failure to address problems with uptake of the standard quickly will mean that the network will continue to develop without meeting the needs of drivers with disabilities. recommendation As part of its Treasury Minute Response, the Department should set out: a. The outcome of the review of the charge point accessibility standard and what actions it is taking to ensure that charge point accessibility is improved. b. What it is doing to encourage alignment of accessibility standards for charge points internationally.