The Association of Fleet Professionals has said that the current system is ‘ineffective’ and that a ‘unified national programme’ is needed to ensure there is consistent access to charging
UK motoring experts are calling for an overhaul of the country’s electric car charging network – naming it as the “biggest barrier to EV adoption”.
The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is pressing for rule changes and the creation of a national kerbside charging strategy, with an urgent need for more on-street bays. The group criticises the existing model that leans on local authorities to install the charging bays as “ineffective”, proposing instead a “unified national programme”. This fresh approach would include new regulations around public chargepoints.
The AFP detailed this among other measures in their latest report, the 2024 Tax and Regulation Manifesto. The document stated: “A lack of kerbside charging is currently the biggest barrier to EV adoption in the UK, we believe, so a national programme is needed to encourage installation of chargers for on-street parking.”
It continued: “The current scheme relies on local authorities to part-fund, meaning that provision is extremely patchy and that employers need to lobby individual councils for charging provision, something that is often proving ineffective. There needs to be a unified national programme in place that solves these problems, otherwise many drivers will find it very challenging to adopt an EV.”
The AFP’s report encourages the Government to support the creation of additional “community charging projects”. The AFP emphasises the need to support drivers without easy access to home charging stations, like those living in flats. Furthermore, the introduction of a new chargepoint regulator was suggested with talks even considering an EV price cap, reports the Express.
There was a warning about the importance of such a regulator to guarantee “quality standard” for chargepoints UK-wide. In ensuring consistent experiences for road users regardless of their charging location, “Quality, quantity, standards and accessibility” were noted as key focuses for any would-be regulator.
The report from AFP stated: “We believe there is a need for a charge point regulator. Drivers of electric vehicles need ease, reliability and consistency when using the public charging network. A regulator would be able to look at pricing and the possibility of price caps, simplify payment methods and make it easier for drivers to pay for, and claim back charging costs across all public networks (contactless via credit cards, corporate billing solutions and simple ways to obtain VAT receipts).”
