Councils have been accused of thwarting the shift towards electric cars by refusing to allow roadside chargers to be installed over concerns that they will “clutter” the street. Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, said there had been opposition to the installation of electric charge points in some areas after complaints by residents. He called for tougher planning laws to give charging operators the power to place devices in the street without seeking permission from councils. The comments were made as Department for Transport (DfT) figures showed that parts of Britain had no charge points for miles, potentially deterring motorists from making lengthy trips in electric vehicles. The average distance to the nearest public charge point was just over four miles at the start of last year, when the data was collected. This rose to 12 miles in Wales, up to 37 miles in parts of Cumbria and 47 miles in parts of north Devon.
Times 27th Nov 2017 read more »
