Hi Dave an interesting video. I live in a Victorian flat so can't charge at home, but I'm on my second EV. Until the 8th of January this year, all chargers in my town were free, (ChargePlaceScotland) and we have 16 of them despite being a small town. I've had almost 5 years of free charging but now have to pay 40p per kw, so I can't complain. I have 2 chargers about a 1 minute walk and 6 chargers a 4 minute walk away and I've had no issues running an EV without home charging.

Hi Dave. I live in an apartment and have no way at all to charge outside. I’m totally reliant on public charging. There must be many in this position. I manage ok, but it is getting expensive. There needs to be a drastic reduction in the cost of public charging,so I hope there will be a price war, to help people stuck like myself.

I have no off-road parking and rely entirely on lamp-post/street chargers in Islington. As a consequence I pay around 40p per KWH and the idea of using overnight 9p/KWH tarif seems like living the dream! I'm fortunate to live in London and have seven public chargers within 100m of my house and even at 40p/KWH my MG4 costs around a third in "fuel" costs vs. my Nissan Qashqai (very similar sized cards).

Installing cable gullies in front of your house is fine only if your car is parked next to it, but perhaps you are forgetting that on-street parking in front of your house is not reserved for your car only. Anyone can park there, potentially leading to 'neighbourly arguments' there :)

How do you get the car park directly in front of your home all the time? You do not own the road in front of your home.

Well I can never charge at home. Door opens onto pavement with double yellow lines 😂

'Looped supply' might one of the biggest home charging installs problems that nobody seems to talk about

A lot of councils are refusing to put drop curbs in to allow people to drive over the pavement even where they allowed a drive to be put in.

Here in the United States, many newer homes have attached garages into which the home owner could install a protected charging facility. In some places (including mine), the local power supplier will install your charging unit into your home power system at no charge if you have an EV.

First statement was correct. From 0:00 to 0:12

Councils need to be forced to do something, too many look like they are deliberately lining their own pockets.

Have you heard that MFG are taking over all Morrisons chargers

I had a gully installed by Kerbocharge who feature in this video under the auspices of Reading Borough Council. My house is a Victorian terrace and the front garden is too small to park a car in. This allowed me to have permission to have a (non tethered) ev charger installed on the front of my house. As I don’t drive much I decided to stick with a 13A cable run out of the letterbox. I waterproof the join by putting it in a plastic bag. I would recommend as I now don’t have to worry about impeding anyone using the pavement.

This is potentially the biggest issue facing EVs. Getting landlords, councils, regulatory bodies etc to agree to standards and rules for installing EV charging facilities for those without offroad parking and charging facilities. The other huge issue looming is how to make DC fast charging profitable, because at the moment, despite the high prices, it simply isn't a profitable business model.

80% have a private driveway ? Enough said.

@chrisbeard1750

4 ай бұрын

More like 50% I think. Even less than that here in Portsmouth, and, I suspect, many other cities.

@patdbean

4 ай бұрын

​@@chrisbeard1750no, nationwide it is about about 70-80% have access to off street parking. Even if you live in a block of flats you may have a parking space, that a power line can be run to from your power supply.

@AdrianNelson1507

4 ай бұрын

Yes though which came first, the EV or the driveway

I contacted Wandsworth council to ask about installing a gulley. They said they weren't going to approve them as they had already approved streetlight charging and that was sufficient

@ysarn

4 ай бұрын

Streetlght charging is not sufficient if it is significantly more expensive than domestic electricity. In Winchester where I live the lamp post chargers are 42p per kWh, which makes the cost per mile no cheaper than the diesel car I drive.

@mondotv4216

4 ай бұрын

Take them to court. There needs to be a test case that establishes that councils don't have the right to deny planning permission simply because it doesn't suit their business model.

Great video

Hi Dave, I got my front kerb dropped last year for around £1700 and this including laying two rows of flag stones. It adds value to the house so should be cost neutral.

Cheers mate

What about the theft hazard of your cable, or for that matter your electricity?

I live in a sheltered flat (1st floor) and asked the landlord about cable from my balcony. Their response was that electric and rain would be dangerous! I admit defeat and will use public Tesla charging. Councils have to do something to help as do local housing associations

@mondotv4216

4 ай бұрын

Then ask your landlord to install an EV outlet that has a chargeback facility. Many of these work off RFID cards and the back end charging is handled by a third party company so it's zero cost to the landlord after install. Alternatively ask your landlord if you can install a ground level outlet attached to your meter.

Thanks for the video. I think its been said 70% of properties could be adapted for home charging, with some of these solutions, perhaps a bit higher, but I do think there is a worryingly large group of people who won't be able to charge at home, this feels less undemocratic than ICE in a way. BTW There is a current furore on the street Whatsapp following a trip incident involving a covered and high vis topped surface mounted cable protector which are being used (illegally) by a few. Not by me but I am in the group, can't charge at home, own an EV but I do feel the gulf in costs. It was my choice and one I would make again, pollution reduction doesn't get cited enough, well done Cornwall. The county council btw have stated a solution is to provide charging hubs in car parks, they have installed some, fast chargers (7Kw/h), 88p/kw. Off peak charging rates and membership deals would bring in the local punters but this all needs to evolve.

Till there is snow...

@totokfr

4 ай бұрын

I live in the French alps . Snows all the time . My MG4 No problem . Let it snow .

Hi Dave I like your videos but this one about digging up the footpath !The councils are governed by the New Road And Street Works Act. Which opens up a large can of worms.

Aside from gullies there was a device that someone patented that was like an inverter hangmans beam that could swing. Over the pavement at a second story height dropping the cable right by your can. Upside no need to get the council involved or expensive professionals to channel their pavement. You could build and install one yourself using 2x4 and hinges. Fortunately i have a front parking space but if i lived in a terrace that didnt this is what i would do.

The trouble with converting your garden into a car park you are privatising the public space i.e. denying the ability to park on street to other residents or visitors.

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

Only if you have council permission for a dropped kerb, but even then that's arguable unless you have a disabled zone marked.

Dave - I heavily criticised your video on waterproofing of EV batteries. I said you can do better. Well, this is better! The fact is that, as you imply, there is no law against running a cable across a pavement IF the risk is assessed and appropriate warning are provided. Yet many local authorities (including Cornwall) state without equivocation that it is absolutely illegal, selectively citing sections of paragraphs of the legislation. As you say, this needs agreement at a level above local authorities to enable a consistent UK-wide policy. I reckon this HAS to come. If the aim of net zero is to be achieved, cross-pavement infrastructure must be made available. Personally, I only charge cross-pavement (using a suitable cable protector)between midnight and 7am, when few people will be using "our" pavement. In fact, I doubt anyone knows we charge at home! My remaining problem is that I keep being told that I cannot have a home charger without off-street access. I could mount one on my gable, at least 2 metres from the public pavement, but it seems the official installers won't do it. So granny charger it is, using a dedicated circuit run direct from the consumer unit.

My problem is I have off street parking but it's round the back, I live in a modern build three story town house as do most of my neighbours here and my Supply box is at the front of the property with the consumer box in the ground floor front room (now my home/office). I also checked my supply and there is no isolation switch yet installed. So to get a supply to my allocated space out back I would need a cable to run up the front of the house, over the roof or through the loft, then out the back down the house, along the back wall and finally fix it to the wall by my parking space!!! about 150 foot of cable !!!! My one advantage is that I can charge at work, I only go in a couple of times a week at most but I think I can get away without having a home charging point at the moment. So I'm going EV in August and will see how I cope with it.

I live in a flat and my designated parking is across the road about 50 meters away so don't have the option of home charging. Nearest place I can charge is too far to walk and there are only 2 charge points, both of which are usually being used by taxis. The simple answer is to let people who want electric cars buy them and people who don't want them to buy petrol or diesel cars.

@davetakesiton

3 ай бұрын

Agree in principle but it has been proved that the fumes from burning fossil fuels are killing us. Are you happy that people who do not want or like EVs carry on pumping out toxic, poisonous, carcinogenic fumes?

@user-kt1rm3hg8q

3 ай бұрын

@@davetakesiton I have 2 vehicles. My van which regularly does trips that an electric van could not do without 2 charges en route which makes this unviable. Also the cost of electric vans is outside my reach financially and they can't carry the weight I transport unless i get a much bigger van than I already have and that means having a Tachograph which limits my driving hours. My second vehicle is a toy which I enjoy driving (roof down) on sunny days (it only does a maximum of 2500 miles per year so not poluting much at all. I hqave no problem with people wanting electric cars or vans but they don't fit into everyones lifestyle.

I can charge at home, have an EV and a charge point but what I can’t get is a smart meter as there is no wan - It’s still cheaper!

I would not recommend regularly charging from a standard plug. Masterplug has a dedicated 10amp socket with RCBO for your protection. MASTERPLUG EVH132S1SPA-MP EV MODE 2 WALL CHARGER WITH A TYPE DP RCBO

Just ordered our first EV, we cannot have a charger ( still trying to convince Association) so will rely on public charging, however 300 yards away I noticed a charging facility on Co Charging app and the price of that for an hour is currently £2.50, so I’ll make use of that as it will still save me at least £30 over petrol. Not sure about using a 13amp plug though, living on first floor flat there is a space below I could park, to be honest our car doesn’t move for at least 14 hours in a day, Any advice on if that’s a good idea.

I have to drive all the way to the bloody gas/ petrol station just to be ripped off again and again 😢

Extension cords are a fire hazard; your insurance company WILL decline your claims in case of fire. IMO curb side charging should be allowed - with a proper wall unit. Local council either allows or doesn't cable channels/gullies. So check local rules about this. In an apartment house upgrading electricity systems up to task for electric charging capability can easily be tens of thousands for mains cable, switchboard and charging poles each. You cannot encroach on the public road. So you need a planning permit for digging tunnels or pipes.

it all depends who's answering your survey, if allot of your viewers have a driveway, sorted, plus theres always the factor that some people doing a survey may lie, not knocking the useful stuff

Hi dave great 👍🏻 informative videos l am new to your channel and am looking for ways to make owning and charging an EV at the moment I drive a Mitsubishi outlander but I have ordered a new skoda Enyaq sport line plus EV and I watching all the videos I can l have got my ohme home charging point booked in for installation in march and I should take delivery of my Enyaq in May what tips can you tell me about making charging an easy process Thank you Kevin in Sheffield

Not very good alternatives, dave! But you have missed one option that will 100% work. Buy a petrol or diesel car you don't need a charger at home. You don't even need to rip up your garden. Just park outside your house. God, that's straightforward, isn't it?

Once everything becomes self sufficient with affordable solar panels and batteries over the next several or more years…. The EVs will be taxed through the roof - we will never win!

Hi Dave ... have you looked into Co Charge at all? Allegedly it's an App where people who have home chargers can allow those that don't to share theirs (and charge back costs obvs) ... I'd definitely be up for this as I typically only use my charger once a month! I just need to expand my driveway so I can have 2 cars on it (bad experience with leaving my car on the road before)

My driveway, levelled and block paved cost 5K. Add the cost of dropping the kerb and the charger install and there won't be much change from 10K. IMHO this is why most people are really worried about eventually being "forced" into an EV and hence the hate for them.

@rogerphelps9939

4 ай бұрын

If you have a drive why on Earth isn't tour kerb dropped already?

@stevengarrett7031

4 ай бұрын

Dropped kerb cost around £2500. You would quickly get your money back in cheaper car running cost and it would add far more than the cost to the value of your property. Why wouldn't anyone do it?

@st200ol

4 ай бұрын

@@rogerphelps9939 It was I’m referring to someone who is starting from scratch with just a front garden.

@st200ol

4 ай бұрын

@@stevengarrett7031 Because it’s a lot of money up front. Us EV drivers are a privileged bunch and we often forget that most car owners are struggling to pay the day to day stuff.

Not possible where I live as I live in a property that is eight feet up a bank at the front with no parking and at the back where I do park it is too far from my property.

Could you site a charger in the hall inside the house with a cable duct leading to a pavement duct?

@Slartyfartblarst

4 ай бұрын

Before we had our Ohme Home Pro installed, we charged using a granny cable plugged into the hall socket and threaded the lead through the letterbox. Our granny lead came with the option for multiple plugs, UK 13A, 16A European, 16A CEE blue. The inline connector fits easily through our letterbox, the UK 13A plug will not. The granny charger can charge at 6, 8, 10, 13 or 16A.

Looking forward to litigation on the misinformation provided by OEM on the safety of charging at home. This also includes claims for false range and if a floater provider goes bankrupt will the car be legal on the road due to software. The cable will be gone in 60 seconds and weighed in at the local scrapyard, brains are sadly lacking.

Most people in my area park on the pavement, council do nothing, so just park on the pavement and charge your car.

@ziggarillo

4 ай бұрын

Very true, in my area it's not illegal to park on the pavement.

@mbak7801

4 ай бұрын

@@ziggarillo I think it is now but maybe not enforced. When it is the fines will be a massive money spinner.

@ziggarillo

4 ай бұрын

@mbak7801 No, it's not. Some councils have made it illegal, but it's not a national law. In Basildon, where I live, despite complaints by residents, it's not illegal.

@mbak7801

4 ай бұрын

@@ziggarillo Right. "Since 1974, Highway Code rule 244 has stated that drivers "MUST NOT park partially or wholly on the pavement in London and should not do so elsewhere unless signs permit it." So in London it has been illegal since at least 1974 (the word MUST confirms this). Outside of London new legislation is needed but is being actively considered (as announced by the DFT, Department For Transport). Councils in London already can charge £70 per car per occasion. You could complain to the council for not doing so as the income would be huge and reduce pressure to raise taxes year on year. Residents need to start a judicial review of their council so they can start getting this money which is just there for the taking.

@ziggarillo

4 ай бұрын

@@mbak7801 Like I said, that isn't true in Basildon, and in many councils up and down the country. I have been in contact with Basildon council and Essex police complaining about pavement parking.this month. They both categorically state that nothing can be done about it. So quoting the Highway code at me me is pointless.

I must be crazy, I have a low range EV and have no charging at home 😮

Evening mate

It won't be cheap to change your garden or have kerba dropped etc.

For now I just have a 3 pin car charger with integrated breaker bought from screwfix. I would like a proper charger but the initial cost puts me off.

Be careful charging from 3 pin sockets. Outdoor sockets need to be professionally installed with additional protection protection and NOT an RCD. DO NOT exceed 8 amps for long periods because that is what UK house hold sockets are rated at for continuous supply at 240 Volts. If you do want to use a "granny charger cable" have a 32A commando socket installed along with a 32A supply cable. Also NEVER extend your charging cable with an extension lead. Coiled extension cables can get hot if not fully extended and many are rated at 10 amp maximum.

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

Why must a RCD not be incorporated, just curious

@rogerphelps9939

4 ай бұрын

Duff info. You can install a socket as long as it is weatherproof. There should be an RCD at the consumer unit so you don't need another one. If your consumer unit does not have an RCD then either use a weatherproof socket incorporating an RCD or a circuit breaker incorporating an RCD.@@Ifitwerks

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

@@rogerphelps9939 Pardon me, what was the duff info you mentioned?

@RB-lt8kt

4 ай бұрын

An EV can send DC back into the socket and many RCD;s only disconnect the live and not the neutral. It is important to totally isolate the socket supplying an EV from all power connections. @@Ifitwerks

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

@@RB-lt8kt Are you referring to the RCD being needed or not needed in the case of the outdoor charging socket? you sound like a qualified electrician with that knowledge, could you clear it up cheers

Hi Dave, greetings from Oxford. I’ve had my super little BMW i3 since 2019, and charge at home. I’ve only used public charging 5 times. I have colleagues who want an EV but are unable to charge at home, sadly I advise them that an EV is not for them at this time. We need to see a big increase in destination chargers in all car parks, from supermarkets to work places. The company I work for is very keen on supporting staff to use EVs, but they lease the buildings and associated car parks from an industrial park, and are not able to install EV chargers. Chargers in work car parks only need to be about 3kW, staff are parked there for 7+ hours, that’s 21kWh of charge every day, more than enough for most commuters.

I’ve just started my electric journey and have just come across the “looped service” A sleeping giant no one seems to be talking about when it comes to EV chargers, heat pumps etc.

@colin7898

4 ай бұрын

My supply is “looped” and I have a home charger without it being “unlooped”. I have no large electrical devices (shower etc) so load is low. The charger has monitor on the load to the house which can reduce the charger rate if required.

I think one way would be to incentivize local business owners to install slow chargers and allow overnight charging there, in any case business parking lots sit empty overnight as they are used by people during the day + they already have good electricity connection, like supermarkets etc. which is mostly sitting idle at night too, there could be some money in it and also lower overnight tariff, still more expensive then home charging but less so than charging during the day. And these parking lots that belong to businesses are often just across the street or short walk away so it is not that inconvenient. I have a ton of local business parking around me that is empty at night and all the electricity they use during the day is at 0 at night, there is an opportunity

I’ve emailed Kirbo and they still haven’t said said if they have secured the patent . Can’t invest otherwise.☹

One issue is the 16 week delay for ev charger installation

The percentages are skewed. They are obviously higher because people who have a driveway and can charge at home are more likely to buy an EV because it is cheaper. We live in a flat so cant charge at home. It is an area with a lot of nice cars. One is a zoe, opne is a niro and one is a hybrid. Thats it. I get my Zoe tomorrow and like another poster. I too live in a victorian flat with a charger near me. 40p/Kwh

I believe there is a gap in the energy tariff market here especially as the charge vendors must have a deal with the energy companies for supply by the DNO. For example, say Pod Point are buying energy from Octopus, then Octopus could then create a new EV (not at home) tariff where you get the cheap rate but you can select Kw credits which you would normally use nightly but are now used at PodPoint. You can select how many units like a pay as you go option depending on your daily or weekly usage. Octopus even have electroverse where this could be setup easy, you charge your car and you are charged the EV tariff . It could have a cap based on the weekly average of which once hit you then pay the full vendor rate.

Hi Dave I follow your videos because you tend to quote the basis of your opinions. The removal and hard coring of gardens on the scale suggested brings its own serious problems. Not good for our net zero and will increase the likelihood of surface water flooding. Not good press for ev adoption.

Leicestershire County Council don't like cable gullies because if you can't afford a drive then you shouldn't be able to have nice things. Though county-wide reduced the speed limit to combat climate change. Go figure 😂

One extra thing to consider with home charging, some car manufacturers have faster granny chargers than others, I think you will find Kia and Hyundai can be switched to 10amp to give a performance like a rapid charger.

@rogerphelps9939

4 ай бұрын

10 amps is only 2.5kw. Nothing like a rapid charger.

@udtrev

4 ай бұрын

Tis better than pigging 4 or less :-) @@rogerphelps9939

Presumably public liability insurance is required in case of injury etc would that be correct?

@malcym3394

4 ай бұрын

Almost all motor insurance policies cover this. As long as you only run the cable while it's attached to the car and actually charging, it's considered "use of the vehicle". I'm pretty sure the UK government has introduced a policy/recommendation/code of practice making this a standard part of policies for EVs. I'm with LV & they definitely include this cover as standard.

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

@@malcym3394 Its the fact that it is not legal to run the cable across a public footpath and Insurance would refuse the claim due to illegal use, Sure its covered on the driveway though. Suppose it will take a test case. I cant see a policy/recommendation being made for a existing illegal use.

@malcym3394

4 ай бұрын

@@Ifitwerks Sorry, but this is a popular misconception. There is no law against running a cable across a road, which includes a pavement. Many authorities cite legislation but, if you look it up, you find that they only cite PART of the relevant clause. Mostly, they cite clause 162 of the Highways Act 1980 - "A person who for any purpose places any rope, wire or other apparatus across a highway is guilty of an offence." The full clause says "A person who for any purpose places any rope, wire or other apparatus across a highway in such a manner as to be likely to cause danger to persons using the highway is, unless he proves that he had taken all necessary means to give adequate warning of the danger, guilty of an offence." They quote other regulations equally selectively.

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

@@malcym3394 Indeed, "According to the Highway Act 1980 it is illegal to run a cable across without consent" however this runs in to a grey area because along with the caveats you mentioned, It will have to conform to the IEE regulations and applicable building codes and local councils, If compliance with IEE regs observed then the cable must be buried greater than half a meter and conform to type and mechanical protection of the cable. All this is very much open to question at the moment I would not want to be a test case without solid insurance cover with things as they stand.

@malcym3394

4 ай бұрын

@@Ifitwerks No No No. Where on earth does it say that a cable has to be buried? Sure, if you're running a cable to your shed, you have to use SWA in case you cut it with a tool of some sort. but that regulation doesn't apply to placing a cable on top of a pavement. I've heard people saying you need to have a qualification to run a cable, but that only applies to protection of works involved in building a new road or major alteration.

The best estimate of drivers(not houses!) without off street parking is just over 80%, so the zapmap numbers just match that.

@DwaynePipes

4 ай бұрын

Where did that come from please?

Some interesting thoughts but it is not a problem we should be having. Councils need to be on the same page and with a lot of clever people out there it should have had a standard way to fix it.

@Ifitwerks

4 ай бұрын

Having dug a bit deeper (no pun intended) It appears the IEE regulations would have to be changed to allow this as according to that cables need to be a minimum of 0.5 meters underground and not subject to immersion plus adequate mechanical protection IE SWA.

Always assuming your power supply can cope with supplying the necessary kwh to charge your car. In the UK our power supply was 100 amps so a 7 kw home charger taking 28 amps still left plenty of spare capacity for household appliances. Here in Slovenia the normal supply is only 30 amps therefore if taking 28 amps, switching on say an electric kettle or the microwave would trip the main circuit breaker. When our electricity meter was last changed I asked the electrician if I could charge an EV and he said no.

@djtaylorutube

4 ай бұрын

So dial it down. The lowest I can go is 6 Amps. Sure it would take longer but changes a no to a yes.

@jamesmcpherson9647

4 ай бұрын

Yea like 12hrs seen some nasty pics of wall socket’s over heating

@djtaylorutube

4 ай бұрын

@@jamesmcpherson9647 That's why I said, dial it down.

11:21 👍

@10:50 Is this actually legal in the UK!? Here in Norway you have to install a dedicated Type 2 box with appropriate protection. The small emergency charger that come with the car is not legal to use as a permanent charger here.

@ziggarillo

4 ай бұрын

Yes it is

Thank you Dave, you have addressed the concerns of many who believe that charging an EV at home is fast becoming a basic foundational requirement of all homes. The EV home charging issue appears to be part of an increasing fundamental right to clean air. (Fully Charged!) It will be election time soon. Ask your local or national representative what they’re doing about it.

Getting cars (parked) off the road has to be a Good thing and you failed to mention the insurance savings. Getting government to legislate the use of gullies AND new builds to have ev charging facilities has to be a priority

Hi Dave there is an option for fitting an EV charger on a terraced property you fit the charger on the inside of wall and run the cable through a secure opening in either the window or the wall.

The reason that such a high percentage of EVs are charged from home is that if you cannot do so buying an EV is not a good idea at present. The stats are not meaningful. As more people get EVs will work allow employees to swap their cars around the car park to allow them to charge? Will the chargers only be placed in senior management reserved parking spaces? I can see workplace charging being a huge can of worms. The councils need to fit simple charge posts along every street without off street charging. Other countries can do it, no excuse here.

The confirmation bias is strong with this one...thinks storage heaters (EVs) were a good idea

7:20 blind people ?

Whilst I am in favour of EVs, I think that the "solutions" to home charging are over the top. We have until 2035 to get this right and am not keen on short term solutions such as having gullies in pavements. The range of EVs is increasing, the battery charging rates are increasing and more and more chargers are being built so the need for home charging will reduce. I would prefer lamppost chargers and local high power public chargers.

If someone parks in the street outside their house every time they get in that car they drive it somewhere else and then park it. All we need to do is have reasonably priced chargers at these destinations for these people. Even if they have to have some sort of subscription service at these chargers to lower the kWh price they will get many years of cheaper charging before they rack up subscription charges to match the cost of installing a home charger especially if you need to dig up a pavement to install a gully. When EV prices are on parity with ICE and when electricity prices drop back to normal these destination chargers will be fine. Sure people with off street parking and a charger will be able to charge a lot cheaper bu their house is usually either a lot further from where they work or a lot more expensive than a house without off street parking.

A lot of trouble just to be able to buy an overpriced EV. Just buy a hybrid and be happy.😊

@davetakesiton

4 ай бұрын

So you’re really happy that your fuel supplier is ripping you off £22 billion profit a year subsidised by tax payers money?

Councils have the money to install street chargers but will take them years to roll them out