The UK government’s planned end to the sale of petrol and diesel engine cars and vans by 2030 is fast approaching. The main alternative will be electric vehicles (EVs) – but will everyone be able to make this switch?

Research by Energy Systems Catapult commissioned by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has found that people with mental health problems will face extra difficulties when they have to change to electric cars.

Under Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) funding, the Equal Electric Vehicles (Equal EV) project, is exploring the enablers and barriers to people with disabilities and/or other vulnerabilities adopting and using electric vehicles (EVs).

• Battery Electric Vehicles made up 11.6% of all new car sales in 2021, with sales of new Plug in Hybrid Electric Vehicle making up a further 7%.
• Around 5.9% of drivers with full U.K. driving licence holders also hold “blue badge” disabled driver parking permits. The difficulties those with mobility impairments will have in using EVs have begun to be recognised but so far little has been done to address these difficulties.

Stage 1 of the Equal EV project, carried out by Impact Research, identified four key barriers for members of these groups that could limit their ability to engage with EVs:

• Up front EV costs,
• Charge-point access
• Range anxiety
• Access to charge-point information.

Stage 2 of the Equal EV project, was carried out Energy Systems Catapult, aiming to:

• Explore the viability of technologies to remove barriers
• Understand the customer journeys that EV users experience
• Explore pain points on these journeys that are experienced by vulnerable users
• Generate ideas for mitigating these
• Understand the role(s) for Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) to mitigate, the costs and benefits
• Select promising ideas for further development.

Key findings

The main conclusions from the Equal EV – Stage 2 report – Unequal EV: Technology Viability and Future Services for Vulnerable Customers, include:

Mobility Impairments

• People with mobility impairments identified multiple pain points in acquiring and using EVs, particularly around the prospect of charging an EV, especially at public chargers.

Mental Health Impairments

• Around 6.6% of adults suffer impairment due to high levels of anxiety in any given week, yet their difficulties in engaging with electric vehicles have not yet been widely recognised and we identified pain points at all stages in acquiring and using EVs.

How can DNOs help?

• People with mobility impairments and those with high levels of anxiety or other mental health issues are able to join the Priority Services Registers, but there is a need for more focus on, and attention to, mental health difficulties among industry professionals and greater awareness of PSRs among people with mental health difficulties.

The project generated a further 71 ideas/concepts, with three explored in more depth:

• Setting up a Community of First Responders.
• Enabling PSR households to use Vehicle to Home (V2H) to provide back-up power for their dwelling during a power cut.
• Providing a temporary EV charging service during power cuts.