On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections | Electric, hybrid and low-emission cars
Energy Minister Ed Miliband in question Charging channels to connect electric cars parked on streets will help reduce costs for motorists, but millions of households in the UK may not be able to use the simple technology because local councils still do not allow charging cables to pass through the pavement.
Despite the government’s promises to “cut red tape” and make guttering easier, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them.
These include Kent, Leicester and Worcestershire councils, but the majority of postponements are in London, including Westminster and Hackney. London has the highest number of electric vehicles in Britain and the highest number of households without off-street parking.
Charging electric vehicles (EVs) via a domestic energy source is much more attractive because the VAT rate on electricity used is 5% compared to 20% when using a public charger. But 9.3 million households lack off-street parking, making it difficult for them to access cheaper energy, according to consultancy Field Dynamics.
Gutter manufacturers including Kerbo Charge, Gul-e, Pavecross and ACO claim their products allow homes to run cables to cars parked on the road without creating tripping hazards. But some municipalities said they had concerns about safety, parking and the aesthetics of trenching sidewalks.
“Approval from local authorities will still be required before any installation,” said Michael Goulden, co-founder of Kerbo Charge. The company works with 48 local authorities that have permitted or are trialling gutters, but the situation is different in each council.
“We are becoming more and more aligned with local authorities to make this more efficient,” Goulden added. Almost a fifth of the 83 local or combined authorities in England counted by the government did not apply for or receive the full allocation of funding allocated to cross-plating solutions.
“Many inner London boroughs currently have no plans for cross paving,” Goulden said. “This change in the legislation [removing the need for planning permission] “There will be no change for residents in the near future.”
The reasons given by councils often boil down to concerns about who will take care of them and who will be responsible if someone trips in a stream and hurts themselves. Guaranteeing a parking space right outside the house poses another problem.
Leicester city council said it was not always possible for many terrace house owners to park in front of their property and the local authority was concerned about accessibility issues. Kent county council said it was also concerned about the risk of electrocution if the cables were damaged. Worcestershire county council said that although it allows cable protection ramps along the pavement, it “does not allow the motorway to be broken or damaged in any way to accommodate EV charger connections”.
Ealing council in west London said there were “accessibility and safety concerns, particularly for older people, disabled people, wheelchair users and those with visual impairments”, adding that it was focusing on installing public chargers on lampposts.
Westminster council in central London said gutters did not work in dense urban areas. Hackney council said it wanted to “minimise street chaos and prioritize vulnerable road users, such as people walking and wheeling over private vehicles” by keeping chargers off pavements and making public chargers more common.
The government’s removal of the need for planning permission will help speed up the process, but it still leaves plumbers needing street work licenses, which are controlled by councils.
“They all have different processes,” said Gul-e manager Adam Dolphin. “I wouldn’t say these are intentional obstacles. They’re just trying to understand how the process works.”
