Tonbridge’s rollout of electric vehicle chargers (EV) future could be being undermined by the town’s long-running mobile phone signal crisis. New national research suggests that poor connectivity is now the number one concern for EV drivers, posing a direct threat to the infrastructure recently installed in local car parks.
So-called “signal anxiety”—the fear of losing mobile connectivity at a critical moment—has overtaken “range anxiety” as the main concern for three-quarters of EV drivers nationwide. According to a poll from Virgin Media O2, 76% of EV drivers worry about losing signal, compared to 68% concerned about battery range.
The EV Ecosystem Relies on Signal
This concern is particularly acute for local drivers as many EV charging points rely heavily on a strong mobile connection. As the Tonbridge Bean has previously reported, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has successfully installed numerous chargers in key locations such as Sovereign Way North, Upper Castle Field, and River Lawn car parks to support the switch to electric.
However as reported in the Telegraph the national figures confirm a concerning risk for these new installations: many chargers are accessed via phone apps and require a mobile connection to function or process payment. As Virgin O2’s Rob Joyce warns, being unable to access an app to pay for a charge with just a few miles of battery life left is a worst-case scenario.
While national regulations now require all new chargers to offer contactless payment, countless existing chargers still rely solely on a phone app connection. The RAC Foundation previously found that outside London, 66% of major UK chargers are in areas where at least one major network has unusable 4G coverage. (Source Telegraph)
Tonbridge’s Persistent “Mobile Black Hole”
This Tonbridge Bean has consistently highlighted the town’s connectivity issues, publishing articles like “Like the Dark Ages” and “Mobile Black Hole” detailing persistent signal dead zones, particularly around the river and central car parks.
For months, residents have been frustrated by being unable to complete essential tasks like paying for parking via apps like RingGo—a clear demonstration of the unreliable coverage. This pre-existing problem is now converging with the EV rollout, risking a situation where residents who have invested in electric cars feel stranded.
MP Renews Pressure on Providers
Acknowledging the severity of the issue, local MP Tom Tugendhat has recently intensified his campaign for better coverage. On November 18th, the MP issued a direct appeal to constituents on Facebook, stating:
“Tonbridge’s mobile signal is not good enough, and I need your help to get companies to listen. Hundreds of you have shared with me your experiences, showing which providers are performing well and which are letting residents down.”
He added that while initial responses have been received from the mobile companies, continued pressure is necessary.
As the government continues to support the installation of new charge points with millions in funding, and EV uptake continues to rise, the message from both local drivers and national data is clear: the success of the transition to electric vehicles in Tonbridge rests not just on cables and power supply, but on reliable 4G and 5G signal. If the town is serious about embracing an electric future, it must first fix its mobile signal issues first.
Residents are urged to support the campaign by completing the MP’s survey here. TMBC’ ‘s Electrivc Charging points can all be found here.
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