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Brisbane resident Chris Noble agrees electric vehicles present many opportunities with inclusive designs and modifications but he's frustrated at charging bays that lack accessibility.
Key points:
- Drivers of electric vehicles who use wheelchairs are calling out charging bays that are not inclusive
- Spinal Life Australia says there needs to be a co-design process
- The federal government is developing a national electric vehicle strategy
Mr Noble, who has incomplete paraplegia, uses a wheelchair or walking aid to move around outside his car and charging-bay designs don't take people like him into account.
"They're just not put in with any thought about how somebody could get around them safely with any kind of walking frame, or definitely when I've got to use the chair, there's just no room either side," he said.
"So it can be quite embarrassing, you know, having to get out and sort of flop around the car to get to the charging port, and because of the way you've always got to reverse in, generally for these as well.
"It's not to say that all of them are a problem, but you know, with the burst of popularity in the EVs … it's already a struggle."
Mr Noble gave the example of stations at Indooroopilly Shopping Centre where a person using a wheelchair could not move around their car if several vehicles were parked next to each other.
Indooroopilly Shopping Centre general manager Steven Ihm said the centre worked closely with various charging partners to bring the convenience of EV charging to the centre for customers.
"As we progress on our journey to bring EV charging to the community, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre will continue to look for ways we can provide accessible experiences for all of our customers, now and in the future," Mr Ihm said.
Spinal Life Australia chief executive John Mayo said many members reported that charging stations were inaccessible for people with disabilities.
He said authorities were failing to ensure the charging stations were inclusive.
"We do need a co-design process, so that you take in various customer groups, so that in fact, nobody will end up being left out," he said.
Help needed
Jimmy Jan, who lives in an apartment complex in Newcastle, New South Wales, said he had to use public electric vehicle charging stations to power his car.
Mr Jan said he used a wheelchair to move around and had found that most of the time, charging stations were not inclusive.
He filmed a TikTok video of himself at a Sydney carpark which shows a bollard blocking the way to the charging station despite the park being a designated park for people with disabilities.
Secure Parking was contacted for comment but did not respond before deadline.
"Most of the time, the charging stations aren't super accessible, there's like a bollard in front of the station or parks are super narrow, so it's hard to pull into them and get out of the car, get into my wheelchair to plug the car in," he said.
"So often I have to ask, you know, other people to help me plug in my car, so yeah, sometimes it's a frustrating experience."
Mr Jan said one of the electric charging stations he had encountered on Wharf Road in Newcastle had a bollard and grass that prevented people using a wheelchair from accessing the plug.
Newcastle City Council said the bays at Wharf Road could not be designed as accessible bays due to the problematic nature of the site, however the bays elsewhere in the city were accessible.
It said it was committed to working with NSW Transport to deliver inclusive and accessible charging stations in the future.
National strategy
A spokesperson from the federal department for climate change and energy said the government was developing a National Electric Vehicle Strategy in which disability access was a key consideration.
The spokesperson said the Commonwealth, states and territories had also asked the Australian Building Codes Board to prepare advice on making electric vehicle charging "easier and safer" within car parks and garages for new buildings.
The spokesperson said the advice would consider options for public and private buildings and would include assessment of options to improve access for people who use designated accessible parking spaces.