When Alison Williams bought her electric Volkswagen ID.3 two years ago, she thought she was making the right choice for the environment, having already upgraded her end-of-terrace London home with insulation and solar panels. However, charging the car has proved more costly than she hoped, as she is not able to install the cross-pavement gully – a narrow electric vehicle cable channel embedded in the pavement – that she would need to charge at home. That will remain the case despite a change in the law.
From Wednesday, drivers in England who do not have off-street parking will no longer need to get planning permission to put in a pavement gully outside their home. The gullies sit flush within the pavement and allow an EV charging cable to reach a parked vehicle without creating a trip hazard. By charging in front of their house via an energy supply in their home, rather than using a public charger, drivers can slash the cost by up to 90%.
But some of the 9.3 million households without off-street parking will be left frustrated as more than 20 local authorities will still not allow the installation of gullies after the law changes. Williams’s council is Ealing, which does not allow them for cost and safety reasons. She charges her car at a public charger, at much greater cost than if she could do it at home.
To use one, a charging cable is run from the home through the gully and then plugged into the car. This previously meant getting planning permission from the local authority. Removing that step will save drivers between £300 and £500.
However, anyone who lives in a conservation area will still have to apply. Caroline Pidgeon, a Liberal Democrat peer, campaigned for the change in the law. She says one in three households in England do not have a driveway.
Approval for the gullies has taken up to 15 months in some areas, she says. The government has given £25m in funding to councils in England for pavement gullies for people with on-street parking, but the money is being distributed in different ways, depending on the local authority. How much you pay for installation varies widely around the country.
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