MPs challenged to play their Charge Card
Industry association ChargeUK has created a ‘Top Trumps’ style pack of cards featuring EV charging stats for every MP’s constituency
EV charging industry body ChargeUK has created a ‘Top Trumps’ style ‘Charge Card’ for every parliamentary MP, charting their constituency’s EV charging stats.
Every MP has a card with their figures, including the number of charge points in their constituency, the number of EVs, how they rank both nationally and within their region as well as a unique ‘charge fact’ about the constituency.
The cards have been created for ChargeUK’s parliamentary drop-in session, taking place in at 12pm on Tuesday 15th September at Portculllis House.
The reverse of each card states three policy calls to keep MPs’ constituencies charging:
1. Don’t mess with the ZEV mandate
The charging sector has committed £6bn on the back of the policy, weakening it will reduce investment.
2. Cut the VAT on public charging
Home charging will now be zero VAT whilst public charging is levied at 20 per cent, hitting homes without driveways.
3. Tackle the standing charges
Regulatory changes to network charges have been the single biggest influence on increased public charging prices.
MPs are invited not only to collect their Charge Card but to meet with members to discuss the opportunity to reduce EV charging costs for their constituents and how to continue localised investment through stable policy such as the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (ZEV mandate).
Rankings for key MPs include Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander’s 280th place for Swindon South in the UK and Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden’s 564th place for his constituency of Basildon and Bilericay. The Prime Minister’s constituency of Makerfield ranks 613th but has a relatively high number of EVs registered at 1,367.
Shane Brennan, chief executive, ChargeUK said:
“The Charge Cards are a fun idea designed to highlight a genuine challenge — how we continue to rollout affordable, localised infrastructure that allows people in every corner of the country to choose to drive electric. The industry is investing billions in order to meet that challenge, but is facing political headwinds in the form of policy-driven costs and uncertainty around the ZEV mandate.”
