Accessible / Disabled EV Charging bays

Ganga

Herzlos said:

This time he actually has a point, there really isn't much accessible charging spaces.

Traditionally in a staffed petrol station, you'd park at a pump, put your hazards on and someone would come out and fill it for you, job done.

All of the EV spaces I can picture are normal width* so getting a wheelchair between parked cars would be a nightmare unless you can get an end space, and the actual charger setup may not be very accessible depending on location, cable length and charging port etc.

It's certainly made a bit more prominent since Motability are encouraging people to use EVs, but it's only a relatively small subset of users who can't use an EV (you'd need to be a permanent wheelchair user without any kind of carer or help) and even then there are still ICE options. 

What'll happen after ICE cars stop production by 2035? I' mnot sure, though hybrids will still be a thing.

Maybe with larger ranges it will be less of an issue. I know there's been experiments with self-connecting chargers that'd make most of the issue redundant too. Maybe it'll be possible to have a van come to your car and charge it.

Instead of using it to bash EV's again, MouldyOldDough, you should be contacting your MP, motoring orgs like the AA, and disability activist groups to try and make the problem visible and hopefully solved.

*I actually think we should be making all parking spaces at least 1ft wider and longer for the sake of everyone, because it's not just people with blue badges that need more access space.

Plus it might stop people bashing my car with their doors when they get out ,i know the spaces are tight but i have fitted rubber strips down the edges of my car doors to avoid damaging other cars and put my hand on the outside edge when opening the door.
I am not disabled but think more could be done for disabled motorists.

MouldyOldDough

Interesting reading 

(its a bit long)

https://www.motabilityfoundation.org.uk/media/dg0bgzyd/est0062-motability-report-v15.pdf

Car_54

That document seems quite old, indeed ancient.

It says "According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), electric vehicle (EV) sales are accelerating rapidly" - They're not now. Quite the reverse.

And "with figures for 2019 to 2021 showing a 587% increase. With the adoption of EVs picking up pace ..." - it might have been picking up pace when this was written, but it isn't in 2024.

That casts doubt on the report's conclusions, whatever they were. TLDR.

Herzlos

It's been a while since you posted something bashing EVs. Do you have any comments or opinions on the topic or do we all have to read it to figure out what specifically has upset you about electric cars this time?


My first takeaway from a skim is that 10% of respondants already drive an electric WAV with another 25% planning to get one next time.

I get that accessibility around charging spaces, and charging in general, is still a problem though but I'm not convinced it's a show stopper for most users, especially the 35% who have someone else drive the vehicle anyway.

I'd argue that the mechanics of charging an EV is easier than petrol, because the adapter isn't as heavy, and doesn't need held for the entire charging duration, and given you should be able to charge virtually anywhere it should be easy enough to get some help plugging it in once a week or so.

born_again

Car_54 said:

That document seems quite old, indeed ancient.

It says "According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), electric vehicle (EV) sales are accelerating rapidly" - They're not now. Quite the reverse.

And "with figures for 2019 to 2021 showing a 587% increase. With the adoption of EVs picking up pace ..." - it might have been picking up pace when this was written, but it isn't in 2024.

That casts doubt on the report's conclusions, whatever they were. TLDR.

https://www.smmt.co.uk/vehicle-data/evs-and-afvs-registrations/

Funny that shows a 10.8% increase on last year.

Scroll to page 54 & data taken from Feb 2023. So not exactly that old.

lordmountararat

I would have thought electric cars are ideal for disabled drivers. They are very easy to drive, maintenance is minimal and charging, especially at home, an absolute doddle.

MouldyOldDough

lordmountararat said:

I would have thought electric cars are ideal for disabled drivers. They are very easy to drive, maintenance is minimal and charging, especially at home, an absolute doddle.

EV's are easy to drive but not to refuel - that's my only issue with them - UK is moving ahead too fast without any consideration or plans for those less able to cope with heavy leads and recharging systems....

born_again

MouldyOldDough said:

lordmountararat said:

I would have thought electric cars are ideal for disabled drivers. They are very easy to drive, maintenance is minimal and charging, especially at home, an absolute doddle.

EV's are easy to drive but not to refuel - that's my only issue with them - UK is moving ahead too fast without any consideration or plans for those less able to cope with heavy leads and recharging systems....

I don't get that.
Refuelling is about the same as a ICE, where pumps are all mounted on a raised plinth. Making it hard for wheelchair users to get close & many nozzles to high.
A well placed charger is easier to get at. 
Although I agree many are not best sited & devoid of wider spaces. But how often do people not charge at home?

sheramber

The EV chargers in my loclal area are in  public car parks so no one to call for help.

Herzlos

sheramber said:

The EV chargers in my loclal area are in  public car parks so no one to call for help.

You certainly don't want to rely on random members of the public for help, but I'm pretty confident most businesses that have EV charging facilities attached would be happy to send someone out to plug in for you, assuming you were visiting that business. Most multi-story car parks are staffed too, and petrol stations.

With home charging, it may require some arrangement with a carer, family member of neighbour to plug the car in once a week or whatever. It's not as if it'll need done daily in most cases.

And for those people who can't do it themselves, can't get anyone to do it for them and never visit anywhere that's staffed, they'll presumably just need to stick to petrol.