AA calls for major investment in on-street charging to aid transition to electric cars

The AA is calling for an urgent boost in on-street charging to help the 40% of households without a driveway, parking space or garage take part in the transition to electric cars.

New data from the Department for Transport today has revealed that just 107 local authorities across the UK have successfully applied for the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), with just 2,869 charge points installed by the end of July, 2022. Funding for a further 9,543 has been approved and will be delivered in the coming years.

This means that there are huge “black holes” across the country where drivers without dedicated off-street residential parking would have to rely on the more expensive public charging network or workplace charging should their employer have it.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “Drivers without dedicated off-street parking looking to switch to electric cars want to have the option for cheaper, affordable charging close to home rather than be reliant on the rapid network.”

He continued: “The transition to electric needs to convince people that they can easily find a charge, but we need a mix of charging speeds to make life simple for everyone. But there are huge swathes of the country without any on-street charging and that needs to be rectified urgently.”

Cousens added: “Earlier this year, the government said it would need a minimum of 125,000 on-street charge points and acknowledged that the current progression in this area was too slow. Very little has changed in order to meet this target.”

Some councils – Birmingham, for example – have said they would focus on installing large charging hubs rather than on-street chargers.

Counsens said: “So much focus has been placed on the rapid and ultra-rapid network but many will be crying out for action closer to home. We are also concerned that rural areas could be left miles behind as on-street charging is often considered to be just an urban problem.”