On-street EV charging in UK is postcode lottery as drivers face council objections

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement. Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. They include the councils for Kent, Leicester, and Worcestershire, but the majority of the holdouts are in London including Westminster and Hackney. London has the highest number of electric cars in Britain and the highest number of households without off-street parking. It is much more attractive to charge electric vehicles (EVs) via a domestic energy supply in part because of the VAT rate on the electricity used is 5%, compared with 20% when using a public charger. However, 9.3m households do not have access to off-street parking, according to the consultancy Field Dynamics, making it hard for them to access cheaper energy . Gully makers including Kerbo Charge, Gul-e, Pavecross and ACO argue their products allow households to run a cable to their car parked on the street without creating a trip hazard. However, several councils said they had concerns about safety, parking and the aesthetics of cutting channels into pavements. …