Charge point operator Believ has launched a series of pledge cards to ask local councils and parliamentarians to commit to scaling up the pace of the UK’s infrastructure rollout.  

The pledge cards ask local councils and parliamentarians to commit to scaling up the pace of the UK’s infrastructure rollout

The pledge cards ask local authority councillors to commit to:

• Rolling out all speeds of charge point in all areas
• Continuing to follow best practice and highest safety standards
• Agreeing contracts without exclusivity
• Using all sources of funding including private sector investment.

The launch follows Believ’s recent local authority insight report, ‘Driving the Future of the UK’s Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Infrastructure’, which revealed more than three-quarters of local authorities view budgeting issues as the most significant barrier to EV infrastructure rollout.

Whether LEVI-funded or not, respondents agree the administration and accessibility of funds needs to improve.

Overall, the insight report found the pace of EV infrastructure has stalled with access to public charge points having fallen by 50%, a third of local authorities having no formalised EV infrastructure plan in place, and half believing that implementation is more than three years away.

Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO, said the time had come for local authorities to consider other funding options.

“As more consumers buy EVs, especially with the rise of the second-hand EV market, we are in very real danger that public infrastructure isn’t keeping up with demand. Private industry is ready, willing and able to fully fund local authorities’ EV infrastructure needs – and scale up the rollout.”

By agreeing contracts without exclusivity, Believ says it’s urging local authorities to further market competition and deliver better choice and user experience for drivers.

It also says consumers need “all speeds of charge points in all areas” to ensure that charging is as convenient as possible, whether they are stopping for a quick charge or will be staying at their destination for several hours.

Believ’s local authority insight report found that only 18% of local authorities had a dedicated EV infrastructure team, prompting the parliamentary pledge to deliver funding to ensure every local authority has a dedicated EV Charge Point Officer.

Believ is also seeking parliamentary pledges to target funding more effectively to encourage private investment, and to upgrade local grids as the insight report found one in six (15%) of local authorities find connectivity a significant barrier to progress. Believ thinks parliamentarians need to call for greater parity in cost for on- and off-street charging to close the gap between households that have access to private, off-street charging and those that do not.

“Our goal with these pledge cards is to foster committed action from local government, through the support of national government,” Guy added.

“We need to act now if we are to support consumers’ switch to EVs, and the decarbonisation of transport.”

For more information on Believ’s pledge cards, click here.