How EV owners charge on with no driveway
Charging at home will always be the most convenient way of charging your car. People with driveways have this privilege and Charga makes this possible for homes with shared or allocated parking as well. Unfortunately, there are still millions of homes that don’t fit into these categories and instead have on-street parking only. We look at the different options available to these people for charging their cars.
PUBLIC CHARGE NETWORKS
There has been a substantial increase in public charging networks throughout the UK with a lot of shops, gyms and restaurants having charge points installed for public use. If you can set a routine for using these I.e during your weekly shop, then these networks are a convenient way of keeping your car topped up.
Charging costs are likely to be more than charging at home, however competitive prices can be found using the ZAP-Map service where most of the connection and electricity charges are listed.
The problem with public charge networks in busy places, is that a lot of the charging facilities are being used. This problem will only increase as the UK increase their transition to electric cars, therefore it’s important that the people that can charge from home, do so. Homes with driveways should have a chargepoint installed and services like Charga also release some strain from public charging networks by installing managed services within share or allocated parking areas.
WORKPLACE CHARGING
Large cooperation’s are coming on board with the roll out of electric charging stations and are now offering these facilities for their staff as part of the corporate strategy to become Net Zero. It’s also advantageous to them to utilise the governments funded Workplace Charging Scheme whilst its available.
If you are fortunate enough to have this facility at work, then this can be an ideal alternative to charging at home. As with public charge networks, then utilisation of these points will increase with the uptake in electric cars, therefore workplaces will need to ensure an effective management system is in place to ensure optimum usage of the charger bays.
USING A FRIEND, FAMILY OR NEIGHBOURS CHARGE POINT
Although not always convenient, taking advantage of friends or families chargers can be an effective solution to keeping you topped up. Friends are family may not be keen on providing free charging and this has led to the rise in charger sharing apps which include Co-Charger, Just Park and Plug-Share. These make it easier to agree a rate for allowing you to use the charger. These apps have widened the possibilities of sharing a charger by removing the friends and family limit and allowing communities/ neighbours promote their charging point for you to use.
CHARGING PROVIDERS IN PRIVATE PARKING AREAS
There are many complications with houses or flats with located parking bays that are beyond a public footpath or land not under their ownership. This makes a connection to your house very difficult and present electric car owners with the same problems of houses with on-street charging. Although there are various innovations for this, a clear solution has not been agreed that can be rolled out nationally.
UK companies Charga & The Phoenix Works aim to eliminate this problem by providing private charging networks to private parking areas. They work with the development owner and property factors to agree the install of the chargers and then you can apply for your own charger in your own car parking station. The Electrical Vehicle Homecharge Scheme remains available for flats subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.
SPEAK TO YOUR LOCAL COUNCIL
If the above solutions still don’t suit, then speak to your local council to understand their plans for installing street chargers local to your area. The On street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available, and councils are keen to install chargers on the street. They will prioritise the areas with the highest demand. With enough support, you may be able to convince them to install a new chargepooint in your area.
If you would like to speak to someone regarding the service available from Charga then please contact us today or use our EV Charging Calculator to start your connection journey.