The Government is considering changes to how electric car charging points are regulated to make sure they are more reliable, a minister said.
Labour MP Clive Betts told the Commons: “I don’t know whether the minister has gone on a long journey in an electric car. You can often travel dozens, perhaps over 100 miles, without finding a rapid charger. When you get to a rapid charger, the name is a misnomer because the National Grid cannot deliver the amount of power necessary.
“Even if you get to one that is working, it is often full because of the number of electric cars now on the road, and you end up with a queue of half an hour or more to wait.
“When is the Government to develop a proper national network so what should be a pleasant day out for motorists doesn’t become hours of planning in advance, then hours of frustration and delay on the journey?”
Transport minister Jesse Norman replied: “He will be aware that there were very specific problems over Christmas, and of course we recognise that, and those had to do with the adverse weather conditions as well as particular concerns of the season.
“But there is a wider problem, and he is right to mention it, and that is why we will be promoting regulations in due course which require a 99% reliability and other standards, as well as transparency across charge points in order to address some of the points he raises.”
.png?w=600)
