RAC comments on the Automated and Electric Vehicles Bill

RAC roads policy spokesman Nicholas Lyes said: “We welcome the publication of the Automated and Electric Vehicle Bill. It is right that the Government looks at ways to increase the use of electric vehicles and this bill represents an opportunity to improve the regulatory framework to accelerate take-up, making it easier and, in the long-run, cheaper for drivers to switch. The Bill correctly focuses on ways to standardise charging infrastructure which could otherwise be a major barrier to take-up.

“We encourage MPs to look at a couple of areas in relation to access to charging points. Firstly, drivers must have the ability to charge their vehicles overnight, so efforts must be made to give those who live in flats with designated parking or those who only have on-street parking the same opportunity to charge as those with their own driveways or garages. Secondly, the RAC believes that the Bill should include a requirement for larger car parks to have electric charging facilities. We believe this to be a greater priority than for larger fuel retailers to offer charging facilities, not least because it would take considerably longer to charge a battery on a fuel station forecourt than it would do to refuel a conventional vehicle.”