Public electric vehicle chargers need clearer signs to help raise awareness of charging networks across the UK, according to the AA.

The breakdown company said adding charging costs to existing petrol station price boards, changing the parking sign ‘P’ on a blue background to a green one and introducing digital displays ‘would help advertise the locations in the public realm’.

Meanwhile, the AA says the number of breakdowns for electric cars that have run out of charge has ‘steadily fallen over the past few years’. Just over two percent of EV callouts are now due to a flat traction battery.

EV drivers need ‘clear advice’

AA president Edmund King said: “It’s important that drivers interested in making the switch to EVs are given clear information and advice. Ensuring definitions around chargers are the same will help people understand what they are likely to use while they travel across the country.”

“With around 50 percent growth in EV charge points in the last year, it is unsurprising that the number of callouts for EV drivers running out of charge has also fallen to just over two percent of callouts.

“One of the top reasons drivers say they are hesitant to switch to EVs is their concern about lack of public chargers. Updating the signs to make them more visible will help EV drivers find chargers more quickly and show other drivers that the network is rapidly growing.”

How do you find EV charging points?

There are numerous different ways to find your nearest public charging points. One of the most popular is to check Zap Map, which shows the full extent of the UK’s EV network. 

Its interactive map allows you to zoom in via a town name or postcode, then use several filters to narrow the search. These include connector types (rapid, fast and slow), charging network (Ionity or BP Chargemaster, for example), location type and whether payment is required.

Google Maps also has the ability to locate electric car charging points. Not only can you find your nearest charger – or points along a chosen route – you can also add the plug used by your EV into the preferences.

Finally, many EVs allow you to locate your nearest charger via their dashboard infotainment system or a connected smartphone app. All Teslas have a built-in Trip Planner, for example, which provides an efficient route to your destination, taking into account the company’s Supercharger stations along the way.

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National Highways will make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and satellite mapping to track changes to habitats and biodiversity alongside England’s roads.

The government-owned roads company says in the past 15 years routine inspections of what it calls the ‘soft estate’ have only provided ‘basic information’. The aim is to gather more data, in order to prioritise the maintenance of roadside greenery more effectively.

National Highways is one of the UK’s largest landowners and is responsible for operating and maintaining 4,300 miles of motorways and major A-roads in England. It also owns structures and track beds of railway lines that were closed in the 1960s under Dr Beeching’s Axe.

Aiming to be ‘nature-positive’

In 2020, National Highways pledged to halt the decline of biodiversity – and to achieve a state of no net loss across its land by 2025. By 2030, the company aims to be ‘nature-positive’, delivering at least a 10 percent gain in biodiversity on major projects.

National Highways says it is building environmental improvements into current and future works. These include:

• Transforming the site of a former open cast mine next to a major motorway upgrade for the M6 near Wigan into new wetlands and areas of woodland
• Creating a linear pollinator network along the M65 and M56 motorways near Manchester
• Launching a four-year project to introduce Highland cows to the Nene Valley near Wellingborough
• Creating wetlands to help clean river water near the M5 in Birmingham
• Signing a 15-year agreement to help species-rich grasslands on the Greena Moor Nature Reserve in Cornwall thrive
• Helping bat populations to increase on historic railway structures across the UK

Making roads greener

“This is a glowing example of how new technologies such as AI can help to improve biodiversity at scale,” said Ben Hewlett, senior environmental adviser at National Highways.

“This is an important building block of the work we’re undertaking to protect and enhance the ecology and the environment across the country. For wildlife, roads can fragment important habitats, putting pressure on plant and animal populations.”

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Self-driving vehicles could be on UK roads from 2026 after new bill became law this week. According to the government, the Automated Vehicles Act enables ‘advanced technology’ to ‘safely drive on Britain’s roads’.

Autonomous cars and vans could be allowed onto roads if they ‘achieve a level of safety at least as high as careful and competent human drivers’, said the Department for Transport.

Crucially the new legislation means that, when a vehicle is in a self-driving mode, the driver will not be held responsible for how it responds. For the first time, companies such as insurance providers, software developers and car manufacturers will bear the legal culpability, with the person behind the wheel deemed not a ‘driver’ but a ‘user-in-charge.’

‘A boost to safety and the economy’

The impact this will have on insurance premiums – which have recently grown year-on-year and can be prohibitively expensive for new and inexperienced drivers – has yet to be seen.

Additionally, the government said vehicle approvals will be supported by a ‘completely independent incident investigation function’.  This will ‘promote the same culture of learning and continuous improvement that has made our aviation industry one of the safest in the world’. Companies will have ongoing obligations to keep their vehicles safe and ensure that they continue to drive in accordance with British laws.   

Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper said: “While this doesn’t take away people’s ability to choose to drive themselves, our legislation means self-driving vehicles can be rolled out on British roads as soon as 2026 in a real boost to both safety and our economy”.

Drivers ‘scared’ by autonomous cars

The government speculated that introducing self-driving vehicles could improve road safety. It says driver error accounts for 88 percent of car accidents, and that injuries and deaths caused by drink-driving, speeding, tiredness and inattention could be ‘drastically reduced’.

Motoring organisation the RAC welcomed the announcement, but cautioned there is plenty of work to be done to get drivers behind the plans.

“RAC research conducted last year showed 58 percent of drivers are scared by the idea of fully autonomous vehicles and just 15 percent think they’ll make the roads safer, so there needs to be a real culture change if we’re to see the public fully embrace them,” said RAC spokesperson on road safety, Simon Williams.

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