Fury as new ‘underground’ EV charger blitz threatens wave of travel chaos from roadworks and closures to pesky potholes
BRITS are fuming as new underground EV charger installations threaten travel chaos with roadworks, closures and even potholes.
The Government has given electric car charger companies the green-light to dig up the roads, which makes construction faster, easier and cheaper.
As reported by the Tele, the new changes will help the UK reach its net zero target with 300,000 public chargers.
At present there are 73,000 top-up points, meaning thousands will need to be fitted each month for the next five years.
There are fears a dramatic and speedy hike in installations will spark potholes and endless roadwork congestion.
But Ruth Cadbury MP, the Labour chairman of Parliament’s Transport Committee, said the Government would “minimise impacts on road quality”.
The MP also spoke of an upcoming inquiry that will be launched to review construction plans.
Until now, EV charger companies have been required to apply to councils each time they wish to install the tech.
The Government’s new plans will allow them to access a digital permit system instead – which makes the process speedier and less complicated.
Water, gas and electric firms already have permission to use this.
A Government spokesperson said on Christmas Eve the aim is to “streamline” the application process amid “increasing demand for EVs” in the country.
This is evidenced by a rise in sales last year – although some manufacturers blame this on strict Government targets to achieve net zero by 2050.
Car companies are even being forced to shell out £15,000 for each car they sell if less than 28 per cent of sales are EVs.
The new rules are thanks to Kemi Badenoch MP, who forged the zero-emission vehicle mandate in 2023 when she was the Conservative business secretary,
Steve Gooding, the director of the RAC Foundation, told the Tele: “It seems everyone wants to dig up the footway or the carriageway.
“The government’s enthusiasm to deliver digital, environmental and housebuilding revolutions comes with a cost of upheaval for our existing highway infrastructure.”
The expert said the rate at which EV chargers are set to be delivered will mean roadworks on massive scale.
He added how there will need to be serious measures in place to “minimise traffic disruption” and prevent worsening Britain’s “pothole plague”.
The average road can go 12 years without needing resurfaced, but according to research, this is cut by two years by utility works.
However, councils have already been objected the power to reject an EV charger installation if they deem the area unfit to cope with roadworks.
This comes as road and pothole repairs across the country have hit their lowest records ever.
While at the same time councils are notoriously refusing compensation to motorists who blame potholes for damaging their cars.
Philip Beck, from Ascot, told the Tele: “We’ve gone into a period of excessive road works, much more than ever before.
Everything you need to know about electric cars
- How long does it take to charge an electric car?
- How much does it cost to charge an electric car?
- Will electric cars get cheaper?
- Are electric cars exempt from London’s ULEZ charge?
- How do electric cars work?
- Do electric cars have gears?
- How long do electric car batteries last?
Check out all of our latest electric car news here
“There should be a blanket approach and change in legislation that requires utility companies to repair damage to that section of the road whether they caused it or not.”
Elsewhere, Edmund King, president of the AA, construction has to be carried out “in a timely matter” and “to high standards”.
But, Vicky Read, the chief executive of ChargeUK, said installation companied “need to go even quicker”.
She said there will be “tens of millions” of new EVs within the next 10 years that need charging infrastructure.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “The Government is committed to tackling the poor state of our roads, that’s why we have pledged nearly £1.6 billion to support local authorities to maintain our roads, helping fix an extra one million potholes a year.
“We are supporting the rollout of electric vehicle charge points by speeding up the process, but operators still need to apply for permission from local authorities to install them, and they must ensure pavements and roads are restored to the required standard afterwards.”