Most public electric car charging sites considered 'unsafe'
Tue, 10 Jan 2023
- Eighty-seven per cent of a sample of the UK’s public electric car charging locations have poor lighting and 77 per cent don’t have security cameras, ChargeSafe finds.
- Research supports HonestJohn.co.uk findings on EV drivers' safety concerns.
- Repeated calls for the Government to introduce minimum personal safety standards.
New research has uncovered the lack of personal safety measures at many of the UK’s electric car charging stations.
Nearly nine-in-ten (87 per cent) of a sample of locations inspected by ChargeSafe, an independent five-star rating system, don’t have a dedicated light over the charge point and 77 per cent don’t have a security camera covering the charge point.
The research has been published as part of a campaign launched by online used car marketplace heycar, which is calling for the Government to urgently introduce minimum personal safety standards at public EV charge points to protect women and vulnerable road users.
It follows research by HonestJohn.co.uk in 2022 that found that most drivers don’t feel safe charging their electric cars at some public sites due to a lack of security measures.
Sarah Tooze, consumer editor at heycar, said: “These findings from our campaign partner ChargeSafe are disappointing but not surprising given that EV drivers themselves, particularly women, have told us how unsafe they feel using public EV charging points. While there are network operators taking safety issues seriously, this research shows how much more work needs to be done.”
EV driver Sarah Harrison (pictured below), from Lincolnshire, said she would not have switched from a petrol car to a Nissan Leaf if she didn’t have the ability to charge safely at home.
Whenever she has had to use electric car charging stations she has found them to be in "dodgy areas", with the chargers often not working.
As well as security cameras and good lighting she would like charging points to have a What3Words address displayed on it so drivers could quickly tell the emergency services where they were.
Sarah Harrison said that she "loves" driving an EV for the environmental benefits but if she needed to charge away from home frequently she would not have opted for an EV until better safety measures were put in place.
Kate Tyrrell, co-founder of ChargeSafe, added: “It is critical to user safety that a charge point has a dedicated light over it and that the lights are bright and it is easy to identify the charge point from a distance. Being visible to road users and other EV charge point users provides extra comfort to those charging at nightime, usually in unfamiliar surroundings and away from home, while the protection of security cameras is key to deter potential attackers or vandals.”
Network operators recognise need to address safety
Pod Point, the UK’s third biggest charge point network provider, has recognised the need to make electric car charging stations safer.
James McKemey, head of policy & public affairs at Pod Point, said: “We want to provide an accessible, safe EV charging experience for everyone. heycar’s call for the introduction of minimum personal safety standards can help to improve these critical areas of the charging experience. Key to those standards is understanding from electric vehicle drivers what makes them feel safe at a charge point, and we would encourage drivers to participate in the research heycar is conducting on this.”
Rapid electric vehicle charging network Osprey Charging added that safety is “core” to its business.
Ian Johnston, CEO, Osprey Charging Network, said: “The creation of safe, well-lit spaces with multiple charge points at busy sites has always been core to Osprey’s ambition to build and run the UK’s highest quality EV charging network. These are the places drivers will want to charge and return to. We therefore support the prioritisation of safety across the charging industry by the creation of minimum standards, and look forward to consulting on what form these standards should take to be both effective and practical for charge point operators and host landlords to implement.”
Fastned, which is building a European network of fast charging stations, including in the UK, said: "EV drivers deserve to be able to charge safely – all too often the EV charging point is tucked away in a dark corner of a supermarket car park, petrol forecourt or side street. Assuring customers on safety will be crucial to the transition away from petrol and diesel vehicles.
“That’s why at Fastned, we are building highly visible, well-lit stations with 24/7 CCTV cameras to provide a safe, accessible and comfortable charging experience for all drivers."
>>>To support heycar's campaign to make public EV charging safer complete this short survey
How many public EV charging points are there in the UK?
There are 37,261 electric vehicle charging devices across the UK, across 22,049 charging locations, according to the latest figures from ZapMap.
How many public EV charging stations are 'unsafe'?
Nearly nine-in-ten (87 per cent) of 817 of the UK’s public EV charging locations inspected by ChargeSafe don’t have a dedicated light over the charge point and 77 per cent don’t have a security camera.
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