There is an undeniable commitment to making the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) from the UK public and indeed the UK Government, but much of the scepticism from people in making the switch is based around the availability of EV chargers and how the development of the charging infrastructure matches lifestyle convenience. Clearly there is considerable work ongoing with this, and the Government has helped people with grants towards installing home chargers – the ultimate in charging convenience – but what if you live in a home with no driveway? What are the options then?
Most major towns and cities in the UK have a wealth of streets lined with Victorian terrace houses with only street parking available. Then there are flats and apartments with communal parking facilities, or no dedicated parking facilities at all, so it’s dog eat dog in the surrounding streets. This is a problem for anyone wanting to make the switch to EVs.
Let’s look at the options…
How the EV charging network is increasing if you have no private driveway
We have taken a look at some of the schemes and alternatives open to EV drivers who don’t have a driveway at home where they can safely and conveniently charge overnight.
- Local Electric Vehicle Investment (LEVI) – The Government announced in March 2024 it was funding local councils to the tune of £381 million to help increase public chargepoints on streets. There are currently 56,000 public charging points, and the plan is to increase this to at least 300,000 by 2030.
- Free private charge point – As part of the LEVI scheme 44 local councils in the UK have access to a £185 million fund to provide free chargepoints to local people without a driveway. This involves digging a channel in the pavement from someone’s home to the kerb for electrical cable, which can then be covered over to prevent a trip hazard. A home then has a dedicated chargepoint. This has already begun in Nottingham and is being rolled out by other local authorities. This is a particular help to EV users as charging at home is considerably cheaper due to being able to charge overnight using cheaper electricity tariffs. This can be the difference in paying 59p per kWh at a public charger, against 7.5p per kWh at home, and of course is much more convenient.
- BT Group charger repurposing – The BT Group have started repurposing old Green electrical boxes which appear on many streets and street corners. In many cases these contain obsolete technology that is now replaced by fibre broadband, and so the box can now be fitted as an EV charger. Even where broadband cabling is still operating from a box, it can co-exist with an EV charger. BT plan to install up to 60,000 EV chargers this way and a pilot scheme was started in Scotland earlier in 2024.
- Public charging – There are significantly more charging points being installed in public places such as supermarkets, leisure centres, retail parks and restaurant car parks. These are more expensive than home chargers, but are often much faster than home chargers and therefore you can ‘boost’ your EV’s battery while shopping or enjoying a meal.
- Workplace chargers – Many businesses are now providing a charging network for employees, so they can charge an EV while at work.
- Car share schemes – An alternative scheme that is also becoming popular is EV car sharing clubs, designed to take cars off the road and ease transport and parking problems in residential areas. In this scheme groups agree to travel together in the same EV, which is useful for areas where people live close by and work in the same place, or all travel into a town or city centre.
Contact Pink Salary Exchange and make the switch to EVs
As you can see, there is an increasing list of options for people who want to make the transition from the traditional petrol or diesel vehicle to a brand new EV. You can reduce your carbon impact by signing up to a salary sacrifice car scheme through your workplace with Pink Salary Exchange. Our team of experts can advise on the home and public charging options available to you to help with this switch, and of course we can also explain the various employee benefits of the salary sacrifice scheme.
Contact our team today and do your bit on the road to net zero.