Major rule changes are set to impact electric vehicle (EV) owners as part of efforts to make the switch to electric easier. A new trial is allowing the use of cross-pavement EV charging channels, enabling residents without driveways to run a charging cable safely across the pavement to a car parked on the street.
Cross-pavement charging trial launched
The trial has been launched by Slough Borough Council, with other authorities likely to follow suit. The aim is to allow more EV owners access to street charging points and remove a potential barrier to people switching to electric.
Around a third of UK households don't have a driveway, blocking access to charging points for many. Tom Preston, CEO at Hippo Leasing, explained: "This trial tackles one of the real reasons EV leasing hasn't worked for everyone."
Planning permission scrapped for home chargers
Separately, the Government has also lifted red tape around the installation of charging points. Homeowners no longer have to apply for planning permission to do this.
Preston added: "Around a third of UK households don't have a driveway, so home charging has effectively only been available to people with off-street parking. Everyone else has had to rely on the public network, which may cost more and isn't always nearby, and that's put plenty of people off going electric, even when a lease would otherwise suit them."
Potential impact on EV adoption
If Slough's cross-pavement channels prove reliable over the trial's first year, it could be one of the changes that actually shifts who an EV lease makes sense for, according to Preston.
