No off-street parking? No Problem

My sister recently got an electric car as her company car, which offers massive tax savings vs. a petrol/ diesel company vehicle. It's like getting a pay rise of around £325p/m with the added benefit of feeling you are doing something for the planet and having a new car. Win-win, surely?

Not so fast: unfortunately she doesn't have a drive or any alternative off-street parking. The laws in different parts of the UK vary currently by council with some allowing people to run electric vehicle (EV) charging cables across public pavements and others prohibiting/ dissuading people from doing it.

In Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole and in Hampshire for example it is currently allowed but in Dorset, it is not. Whether councils actively enforce the prohibition is another question. Councils are also free to change their minds and then if you have an electric car you would be stuck with having to use more expensive public chargers. Either way, as someone whose wife is in a wheelchair, I realise that is not a feasible long-term solution.

As an EV installer, I recently came across an article on the BBC about a company called Kerbo Charge which is working with councils in the UK to install gutters with a lid across pavements meaning people can attach a charger to their property and trail the cable along the gutter to their vehicle. Assuming it works as set out then it seems a great solution to what will become an ever more common problem. I've spoken to the management team there and we are looking forward to our first install for a client using Kerbo Charge.

Get in touch with Recharge if you would like an electric car but don't think you can get one due to a lack of off-street parking.