England’s drivers with no access road slapped with ‘unfair’ pavement charge

Motorists in England who don’t have a lane have been warned they will be hit with a cruel ‘pavement charge’. Drivers with electric vehicles and motors face additional charges to collect, with VAT higher at public outlets than at home wiring.

In an interview with The Express, Rebecca Trebble, Chief Customer Experience Officer at electric car charging specialists GRIDSERVE, said: “GRIDSERVE supports reducing VAT on public charging to 5% to be in line with the charging at home.

“This significant change would have a real and positive impact on electric vehicle ownership and make it fairer for those without home charging.” The government previously explained: “Although this exemption was not designed or introduced for charging electric vehicles at home, this reduction applies to all household energy uses. Electricity supplied at electric vehicle charging points in public places is subject to the standard rate of VAT (20%).

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“Extending the VAT relief already available would place further pressure on the public finances to which VAT makes a significant contribution.” Rebecca told Express.co.uk: “We know from many of our customers at Electric Forecourts and the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway that reliable public infrastructure is essential for them to switch to electric in the absence of charging at home, but they may be disadvantaged by higher VAT.

“We need to ensure that any barriers to electric vehicle adoption are removed to ensure we reduce emissions in the shortest time frame possible to address the climate emergency.” The price of energy on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway varies depending on whether you choose AC or DC charging.

All prices are calculated based on cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh). It said: “We are making the biggest investment in our history to deliver a high-power charging network across the UK at the speed and scale needed to meet demand for electric vehicles and help move the needle on climate change. We are always working hard to keep prices as low as possible in the long term.”