The Motability Foundation is endorsing assessment schemes run by AccessAble, BSI Assurance UK and the British Parking Association (BPA) that check the accessibility of public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.
The assessment schemes give providers and manufacturers a way of checking if their public chargepoints conform with the PAS 1899 accessible charging standard.
The Motability Foundation has previously given a one-year endorsement to AccessAble and BSI Assurance UK in October 2023 and gave organisations another opportunity to apply for its endorsement in late 2024.
After evaluating all applications received, the BPA’s Park Access EV scheme has been awarded the endorsement for the first time for checking chargepoints located in car parks.
The BSI PAS 1899 standard provides industry with a clear specification for making chargepoints accessible. It was co-sponsored by the Motability Foundation and the UK Government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), following research which found disabled people can face a range of barriers when using EV public chargepoints. These can include the weight of charging cables, the force required to attach the connector, lack of dropped kerbs around chargepoints and unsuitable parking arrangements.
The Motability Foundation is continuing to support the uptake of PAS 1899 and wanted to provide a way for organisations to check whether their chargepoints are meeting the accessibility standard, and help disabled people make informed decisions on where to charge their EVs with confidence, it said.
Results from assessments will be made freely available online, so that disabled people can make informed decisions about where to charge their electric vehicles.
Harry Fisher, Innovation Manager at Motability Foundation, said:
“We’re delighted to have awarded AccessAble, BPA and BSI Assurance UK with our endorsement for their accessible EV charging assessment schemes.
“We know from our engagement with industry that providers and manufacturers are keen to have a way of checking if their chargepoints conform with the PAS 1899 standard. These Motability Foundation endorsed schemes will provide that service, and we know that both AccessAble, British Parking Association and BSI Assurance have the expertise and knowledge to provide a robust and fair assessment process.
“At the Motability Foundation we are continuing to do everything we can to improve public chargepoint accessibility.”
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