House of Lords should ‘lead by example’ and install EV chargers

The House of Lords should set an example and install electric vehicle (EV) chargers in its car park, according to a Conservative peer, who has said his request to do has been twice turned down.

During an upper house debate on EVs, held earlier this week, Lord Leigh of Hurley urged the government to join his campaign to bring the Lords into the EV age.

He said: “We should be leading by example. I have written twice to the House authorities to ask them to put charge points for electric vehicles in the House of Lords car park, and have twice been rejected.”

He was backed up by Baroness Deech, who also complained that she was unable to charger her electric car at the Lords.

She said: “I too have an electric car and have been unable to park in the House of Lords because of bureaucracy and expense that we need to sweep away.”

The crossbench peer also criticised the lack of uniformity of charging points across the UK.

“As you travel around the country and you need to recharge, that requires uniformity. Everywhere one goes, there are different credit card-type of memberships. Imagine if every time you went to a petrol station you found different sized pumps and that different memberships of organisation were required. We need uniformity all over the country.

Lord Rosser, shadow transport spokesperson, said the government had a “lack of enthusiasm, “certainly in the short term” about ensuring charging points are complete compatibility of chargers.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton, a government transport minister, said she supported Lord Leigh’s push to install EV chargers in the House of Lords car park.

She also rejected Lord Rosser’s accusation that the government is not committed to ensuring that chargers are compatible.

The Conservative minister said: “Of course we want greater compatibility in charging points, but what we are not going to do is set out in regulations right at this moment in time to define exactly what a charging point needs to look like. We need to let the market work together because, after all, it is in the interests of those supplying the charging points that the highest number of people can use them.”

She added that the introduction of green number plates later this year will help local authorities to design and put in place new policies that will specifically address EVs.