Huge wait for EV chargers is sparking furious rows between angry drivers – with marshals forced to keep the peace
HUGE wait times for EV chargers are sparking furious rows between angry drivers.
Marshals are now being forced to keep the peace at motorway service stations to manage “charge rage” between drivers.
New data from the Department for Transport has shown charging points are far from readily available, with some parts of the country having none at all.
Large areas of Somerset, Cumbria and Yorkshire are actually complete blackspots.
And bosses at Britain’s largest roadside stop-off say that long waits for plug-in points made drivers “very angry and stressed”.
Moto chief executive Ken McMeikan says a lack of grid connections is stopping him from installing enough chargers to meet the demand.
At three of their 49 motorway services they have been forced to introduce marshals to stop conflicts.
Mr McMeikan, 58, told The Sunday Telegraph: “What I’ve been saying to them is that the grid does not have sufficient capacity, now, to deliver the power we need at the time we need it.
“If we don’t get that amount of power, guaranteed, then in coming years every Christmas, every Easter, every summer holiday and peak bank holidays, will be the equivalent of when we have a fuel crisis on petrol and diesel.”
Moto believes one in three cars will be electric by 2030 – which will see “charge rage” soar.
Mr McMeikan said: “There is a view in government that, rather than provide the power to guarantee sufficient numbers of chargers, we should be thinking about how we manage queues.”
The Department for Transport said: “Around 96pc of motorways service areas already have charging available.
“The Government has put more than £2bn into the transition to electric vehicles, with the number of public charge points across the country increasing by 43pc since last year.”
It comes as the PM last month confirmed a hated ban on buying new petrol and diesel cars would be delayed by five years to 2035.
Eco zealots insisted the ban would discourage businesses from making transitioning to be more environmentally friendly.
It comes after a motors expert listed the worst electric cars to invest in as second-hand prices hit the floor.
Meanwhile, locals of a small Gloucestershire village claimed that posh EVs are killing off their local garages as mechanics in the area don’t have the fancy tech or extensive training needed to deal with them.