Rollout of EV charging across Britain 'patchy' and late, MPs say

The rollout of electric vehicle chargers across Britain is "patchy", behind deadline and ignores the needs of disabled drivers, the parliamentary spending watchdog has found.

- Gwyn Topham

A report published by the public accounts committee (PAC) warned that the charging points needed to give drivers confidence for the switch to EVs were still lacking, particularly on Britain's biggest roads.

MPs on the committee warned that the rollout risked "baking serious injustice" into the nation's infrastructure, with drivers with disabilities "left behind" and those reliant on public chargers left paying much more than those able to charge at home.

While the PAC report said the government was on track to reach a promised target of 300,000 charging points by 2030, there were stark regional divides, with too few installed outside south-east England and London, where approaching half (43%) of public chargers are located.

Drivers reliant on public charge points also pay significantly more, partly due to higher rates of VAT, levied at 20% compared with 5% for domestic bills - exacerbating inequalities for those who live in flats or houses without off-street parking.