The Route to Accessible EVs #12
1
1
Date of visit: May 2026
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: a hidden impairment, accessing toilets, moving around and seeing.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, hidden impairment, mobility scooter, powerchair, toilets, walking aid, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Bad
Located on-street right next to a Burger King, this charging setup is highly visible and adjacent to busy commercial businesses. While the location is convenient for food, just 10 metres from external under-cover seating, open-air spots and the indoor restaurant area, the accessibility and user experience was poor and took around 30 minutes before charging could even begin. We used a Powerdot device at this location.
Disabled Access In and Around
The charging spaces are not designated or marked as accessible bays for disabled drivers, and the layout fails PAS 1899 compliance entirely. Even though it sits right next to the restaurant, it would be incredibly difficult for a person in a wheelchair to navigate the bay. There is 1 standard disabled bay located in the wider vicinity. There are several barriers including bollards and kerbs, and users must step over an extra kerb lip just to dislodge the heavy charging lead from the main unit. Because of these issues, the hardware components cannot be easily viewed, reached or operated from a seated position. The bottom of the handle connector does not sit within the accessible 800 mm–950 mm range, and the terminal height does not meet the standard 800 mm–1000 mm positioning from the ground, further limiting practical wheelchair access zones.
Parking & Transport
I travelled to this place by personal vehicle
There are 2 bays in total at this location, and 1 was occupied by a vehicle which wasn’t charging. The chargers are run by Powerdot. Starting the charge was a complicated and slow process due to hardware and software faults, forcing us to completely abandon the first attempt, move the car into another bay and start the entire setup process over again. Our battery was at 42% when we arrived and reached 100% after approximately 1 hour, costing a total of £21.24. We paid by card, but the station supports charge card/RFID and QR code options as well. The interface supports multiple languages, explicitly including English, Spanish and Italian. The charger features its own cable and connector, but there is no cable management in place. The heavy cables weigh 4.9 kg and are wrapped awkwardly around the protective bollards. A lot of force is required to remove the charger from the unit and to place it back.
Accessible Toilets
There are no public facilities next to the units, but standard public building facilities and toilets are available inside the Burger King.
Additional Information
The customer support system for this site was a poor experience. An attempt to call the assistance number on the unit was met with a recorded message instructing us to call a second number, which then provided a third number to dial. Opting for the alternative text chat instead resulted in an AI chatbot which also resulted in an error. The site has overhead lighting, but no shelter or canopy. It was a chore to complete this charging session.
