One of the UK's greatest paralympic athletes, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE, has called for planning around the transition to electric vehicles to take account of accessibility issues.
With the paraolympics in full swing in Paris, Baroness Grey-Thompson backed calls for all public electric vehicle (EV) charging sites to provide accessible designs.
Baroness Grey-Thompson said: 'We were very close to buying an electric car but when we started looking at the accessibility of the charging stations it very quickly became apparent that it was a complete no-go.
'Many of the charging stations we looked at I would not be able to use for many reasons which include the height of the charging stations, high steps, gravel, and no wide spaces.
'One place we looked at I might have been able to use the charger but there were no accessible spaces so I could not get my chair out of the car to be able to use it.'
The baroness attended a meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on electric vehicles, where MPs and attendees heard from representatives from charging bodies.
She called for charging companies to be required to implement BSI PAS 1899:2022 – a British specification giving designers, procurers, and installers essential specifications on how to provide accessible public charge points.
Baroness Grey-Thompson added: 'It is appalling that it has not been considered before and that we are retrospectively trying to fight for it.'
RECHARGE UK, the electric vehicle arm of the REA (Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology), also called for all charging sites to have minimum levels of accessible charging mandated.
The group said that accessibility requirements for public charge points and surrounding environments would ensure wheelchair users always have equal access to the facilities.
REA transport policy manager Matthew Adams said: 'Net zero road transport should be for everyone. We have a unique opportunity to solve concerns around accessibility that we have simply never solved at petrol pumps across the UK.
'We are currently involved in reviewing PAS 1899 to make it 100% deliverable and I’m sure once that process is complete the Government will be able to use it as the basis behind mandating minimum levels of accessibility for public charging sites.'
