Councils are wasting much needed money and installing the wrong on-street ev charging systems instead of creating community ultra-rapid hubs.
That’s the opinion of Asif Ghafoor, CEO & co-founder of Be.EV believes that whilst public money has been allocated to improve charge networks, it’s sitting unspent because of pointless bureaucracy and a lack of understanding from local authorities – something particularly concerning when the debate around the EV transition has become increasingly polarised.
Many local councils are wasting their time installing outdated, broken, or slow on-street chargers. Instead, they should be focused on creating t ultra-rapid charging hubs for communities, making charging quick and convenient.
On the topic, Asif Ghafoor (above), CEO & co-founder of Be.EV said, “Up and down the country you have more than 400 local authorities who have been told to increase EV charge provision but many of them have no idea where to start.
“Nine times out of 10 once local authorities realise how complicated EV charging is they either file the report and do nothing or ignore it and turn a couple of hundred lamp posts into cheap and cheerful, very slow chargers.
“Many of these chargers end up broken or remain unused, and installing them is just a box checking exercise for local councils. In three years’ time we’ll be replacing them with faster models, or switching them off because they aren’t used. They’re not futureproof, they’re just clutter. Councils are wasting their time installing them.”
He added, “Instead, we should be equipping neighbourhoods with hubs of ultra-rapid chargers, servicing every home within a 10 minute walk. People can fit charging their EV into their lifestyle – while they’re at work, doing their groceries, dining out, or going to the cinema. “