About our on-street charging pilot schemes for electric vehicles
To explore the suitability of alternative solution for local charging provision, we have undertaken product trials. Part of this involves pilot schemes of pavement cable channels. These make home charging a safer, more realistic option for the many residents who do not have the ability to park off-street, and may not feel comfortable transitioning to an electric vehicle.
These cable channels are installed in the pavement to allow the safe trailing of charging cables from property to vehicle in areas where residents predominantly have to park on-street outside their property. They are designed so that cables will not cause a trip or slip hazard.
The specifically designed channel allows residents to connect their electric vehicle to their domestic electricity supply when parked outside their homes. We understand that in some areas it can prove challenging to park outside your home, and this will also make charging more difficult. However, these channels may provide a suitable solution in lots of areas and will allow savings to be made on the cost of charging your vehicle. Undertaking trials allows us to see what works best in a variety of locations.
The future
Following the completion of the two trials, we have been analysing the channels and the feedback from participants. A report on our findings will be published in due course.
We are currently working though the detail of how we can offer these to residents. This involves collaboration across the organisation, implementing our learnings from the trials, and ensuring we have a complete understanding of the processes that need to be in place before we can go live. Central government recently released long-awaited guidance on cross pavement solutions. This was produced to help provide a way forward for all local authorities that are working towards making these available to residents. We are currently digesting the guidance; however it does not provide all of the answers required and so there is still work to do in this space.
The cable channels present one small solution to the wider need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure. We hope to be able to offer these soon as an option for residents to purchase to enable home charging.