Tag Archives: motorists

DRIVERS LOOK TO LOCAL COUNCILS TO IMPROVE ON-STREET CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE, FINDS VAUXHALL

  • Research by Vauxhall reveals motorists throughout the nation are placing their religion in native councils to assist electrical automobile (EV) drivers with on-street charging provision
  • 75% of UK drivers count on their native councils to be the principle driving power behind putting in accessible on-street charging to assist EV possession
  • Fewer than one-in-10 drivers are proud of on-street charging of their space
  • Research comes forward of May’s native and mayoral elections, as motorists word an absence of dialog round charging infrastructure from candidates
  • Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain initiative was established to assist native councils throughout the nation speed up on-street charging infrastructure
  • For extra data and to register your avenue go to: www.electricstreets.co.uk

Research by Vauxhall has highlighted the rising reliance drivers are putting on their native councils to extend on-street charging provision for electrical automobile (EV) drivers. According to its findings, Vauxhall revealed that 75% of motorists are relying on Local Authorities to put in on-street charging to fulfill the calls for and growing numbers of EV homeowners.

The new analysis comes forward of England and Wales’ native and mayoral elections, set to happen on 2nd May. While points regarding motorists are by no means removed from the information, Vauxhall’s research discovered that solely 25% of respondents observed points round charging infrastructure taking part in a task within the political manifestos and canvassing of native candidates, suggesting it has dropped off the political agenda.

According to Vauxhall, solely 30% of respondents say motorists who personal or need to personal an EV are supported by their native council, with numbers noticeably decrease in areas outdoors of London. Highlighting the problems additional, solely 10% of drivers advised Vauxhall they had been proud of the degrees of on-street charging of their space, with satisfaction charges in Wales dropping to as little as 4%.

Vauxhall launched Electric Streets of Britain to deal with the shortage of on-street charging provision within the UK, and assist councils throughout the nation with the acceleration of native charging infrastructure. On-street charging entry is crucial to make sure drivers can cost electrical autos with ease and comfort, particularly for the 40% of drivers within the nation with out entry to a driveway1.

Alongside a web-based database for drivers to register charging wants of their space, Vauxhall has established an ‘Enablement Fund’ to assist Local Authorities, working with main charging operators char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge.

Registrations to Vauxhall’s Electric Streets of Britain hub mirror considerations expressed by the most recent analysis, with excessive ranges of curiosity for cost level installations logged in cities together with Glasgow, Leeds and Birmingham – all in localities the place a big share of drivers advised Vauxhall EV homeowners require additional assist from their Local Authority.

Recent figures present London holds as much as 60% of the UK’s on-street chargers2, with wider areas lagging. This lack of parity is obvious in Vauxhall’s most up-to-date analysis, as London was discovered to be the one area of the nation the place the vast majority of motorists (60%) say EV drivers are supported by their native council. London was additionally the one space the place over 50% of drivers observed points round EV infrastructure taking part in a task in political campaigning forward of native elections.

James Taylor, Managing Director, Vauxhall, mentioned: “Electric automobile charging infrastructure is only one of many considerations that needs to be mentioned in nice element forward of this 12 months’s native and mayoral elections. While latest figures present cost level numbers are growing, our newest analysis highlights how drivers are more and more reliant on their Local Authorities to ensure infrastructure wants are being met.

“Our Electric Streets of Britain initiative was launched to support Local Authorities, working with our partners to educate councils on the importance of installing more accessible on-street charging to ensure no driver is left behind on the UK’s journey to electric. We hope to see local councils listening to these drivers who are reliant on their support to provide confidence and ensure motorists across the country feel they can join the electric transition efficiently and safely.” 

By the tip of this 12 months, Vauxhall will provide a completely electrical model of each automobile and van mannequin in its line-up. Vauxhall was the UK’s best-selling electrical van producer in 2023, whereas the Corsa Electric was the UK’s best-selling small electrical automobile and the Mokka Electric the best-selling electrical compact crossover mannequin final 12 months. 

UK motorists who need to have on-street residential EV chargers put in close to them can register their curiosity at www.electricstreets.co.uk.

Will cellphone funds make automotive park machines out of date?

Autocar analysis has discovered that 83% of motorists would like to make use of money or contactless fee machines in automotive parks over smartphone apps.

Feedback revealed that individuals don’t love having to obtain so many apps (there are greater than 30 throughout the UK), fear about on-line fraud and fear that the apps are too advanced.

Dennis Reed, director of marketing campaign group Silver Voices, known as the abandonment of pay-and-display machines “blatant ageism”. I’m with him.

I reckon there’s extra to individuals’s dissatisfaction with on-line fee than complexity or fraud, too. It’s not that we won’t use these items – it is that we do not need to. I feel that individuals have had sufficient of the mission creep of surveillance and knowledge gathering and that there is a concern not of fraud however of poor ways from parking suppliers.

Last yr, I wrote twice about my household’s parking travails. One relative drove into a carpark, tried to get the net fee to work, could not and acquired hit with a £100 high-quality for spending 5 minutes making an attempt to take action. Another paid for the unsuitable automotive park in his city on an app (there are two) so was fined. Both appealed efficiently.

All of that is administrated by numberplate-recognition cameras and a pc that prints and sends nasty letters to unsuspecting drivers, who then should undergo a worrying, time-consuming and unsure system of attraction. If both of these automotive parks had a fee machine, neither of those dramas would have occurred.

I’m not one for reminiscences. But within the outdated days, you paid your money, you bought a coupon to point out you’d rented your area and that was the top of it. The authorities is promising to ‘streamline’ the app system. It needs to be insisting there is a fee machine at each automotive park.

83% of motorists wish to ditch parking apps

More than 4 in 5 motorists dislike utilizing car-parking apps, in response to new analysis by Autocar.

In a survey of 1387 UK-based motorists, 83% most popular to make use of money or contactless card funds to park as a result of they don’t like having to obtain so many apps, fear about on-line fraud, or discover that lots of the apps are too difficult.

Only 14% of individuals most popular parking apps to bodily fee machines; most frequently citing comfort of paying by way of an app as the principle profit.

There are 30 totally different parking apps throughout the nation, prompting considerations about ageism from campaigners, such because the over-60s marketing campaign group Silver Voices.

Its director, Dennis Reed, mentioned aged and susceptible individuals wrestle to obtain and navigate the plethora of apps essential to park and describes the choice to desert pay-and-display machines as “blatant ageism”.

Autocar editor Mark Tisshaw added: “The British public clearly imagine there are just too lots of them and they are often very difficult to make use of.

“The Government’s proposal to streamline the parking app system into a single point of access will be welcomed by many.”

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Transport Secretary Mark Harper unveiled plans in October 2023 to launch a nationwide parking platform, which might streamline the method of utilizing apps to pay for parking. More than half (54%) of the Autocar survey respondents mentioned that they supported the initiative.

Conservatives aim to make life easier for UK motorists

The Conservative party has unveiled a 30-point plan to make life easier for drivers in the UK.

A key part of this plan is to counter “anti-driver” policies that promote active travel and enhance road safety. The party specifically highlighted the implementation of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and the enforcement of reduced speed limits, such as Wales’ new 20mph speed limit in residential areas, as examples of such policies.

The government intends to update guidance for 20mph zones and LTNs, with a focus on introducing them only where there is local support.

Furthermore, the Conservatives have vowed to ensure fines for traffic offences, like inappropriate use of yellow box junctions, are fairer and prevent local authorities from profiting from enforcement.

Local authorities will also be prevented from introducing the concept of “15-minute cities,” which aim to provide all necessary amenities within a 15-minute walking radius of city residents.

Although no council currently operates a 15-minute city, several, including Bristol, Birmingham, and Oxford, have expressed intentions to implement this policy in the future.

The government’s plan suggests that 15-minute cities could eventually lead to excessive traffic restrictions and car use permits. To prevent this, local authorities pursuing such measures will be denied access to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data.

As part of the “smoother driving” initiative, the government has also committed to reducing the failure rate of road infrastructure and minimizing repair downtime. It will invest £70 million to improve traffic lights, dedicating £30 million to enhance their reliability, £20 million to improve their responsiveness to road conditions, and £20 million to explore the use of artificial intelligence for managing traffic flow in city centres.