Getting An EV Charge Point In Your Street

A parked electric car charging in the street

Want to buy an EV but don’t have off-street parking at home?

Worried about the hassle of having to drive to a charge point?

You don’t have to!

Local authorities will convert lampposts on your street to charging points.

On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme

The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme is run by central government to support their vision to have one of the best electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure networks in the world. This means a network for current and prospective EV drivers that is affordable, reliable, accessible and secure.

There are a large number of companies that are working to create low-cost charging amenities by installing charge points. The local council have to work alongside them to make the reality of a network of charging points everywhere in the country.

Using lampposts is the cheapest and less intrusive way to install lots of public charge points – meaning low refuelling costs for EV drivers.

What you need to do

Ask your council to provide charge points because you don’t have a driveway.
Councils have a form or an email address on their website where residents can apply, search “EV charging” or similar on their website.
The more residents that make a request, the more likely your council will take action.

Some Things To Remember

Installing public chargers is different to installing private ones

Streets are public spaces and are managed by your council. They are the highways authority and control what is installed on it, they also usually own it. Private companies and individuals are not permitted to install privately owned equipment on roads and pavements without the council’s agreement.

Charge points installed on the street must be available for everyone to use. To ensure peace of mind between neighbours it is advised that councils install several charge points per street. This makes access easier and avoids conflict.

Is your street suitable?

Your council will evaluate the suitability of your street. The location of the charger will depend upon:

1. Demand

Councils will look at resident’s requests and prioritise them. They will be considering things such as air quality gains and social considerations such as supporting people with disabilities who may rely on their vehicle to maintain independence. Councils are generally very aware they need to put charge points where there is a local need. Your request as a new EV owner is helpful to them.

2. Technical feasibility

The company undertaking the installation work with assess a number of technical requirements including:

Electrical supply available to power the charge
Condition of the internal wiring
Size of the lamppost –enough room for extra fuses and charge point electronics
Position on the pavement. If the lamppost is at the back of the pavement, Often the charge point will be housed in a small bollard at the kerb
Local parking conditions

The installation process is quick. An experienced installer can install and commission the charge point in under an hour.

Remember though that it can be a lengthy process and councils have been stretched by coronavirus so you will need to be patient! The Government funding is available to local authorities until 31 March 2023 so the time is now to act.