Ev cars for mid terraced house owners
Discussion
I live in a mid terraced house with no private off street parking. This situation leaves me, and I assume many more people in a position where we are limited to ice cars. I contacted my local council to see if they could install a public charger nearby but I got a generic response that was typical of the council.
Does anyone have an electric car and live in a house that does not have a private drive? If so can you share how you manage your daily charge?
Does anyone have an electric car and live in a house that does not have a private drive? If so can you share how you manage your daily charge?
I ran my Zoe for 6000 miles with no home charger, I mainly used a public charger close to my office which is 21 miles from my house, it took a little planning but was perfectly possible.
Some councils are putting in a lot of charging infrastructure at the moment so a lot of it comes down to the attitude of the council.
Some councils are putting in a lot of charging infrastructure at the moment so a lot of it comes down to the attitude of the council.
SpikeBmth said:
I'm in the same situation... could you drop the kerb, and create a drive on your garden, which is our plan going forward, in preparation for an EV.
I see Richmond are adding electric chargepoints to 400 lamp posts.
I supppse it will vary by area but could someone afford to risk not being able to get parked near a lamp post and therefore not get a charge? Every little helps but where I used to live if they put chargers in lamp posts it would be pot luck if you got parked next to one, and you could guarantee that ICE drivers would behave selfishly and park there if it’s convenient for them. I see Richmond are adding electric chargepoints to 400 lamp posts.
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One the best things I love about EV ownership is how easy they are to refuel at home and for pennies.
Sadly both of these things rely on a driveway/dedicated parking space. If I had to faff with finding a public charger to use all the time, and/or have to pay the 50p per kWh Shell is charging for using their rapid I would dump the EV very very quickly.
Cutting grooves into the pavement is really not going to work, for a start do you want to messing around literally hands in the gutter on a wet cold British winter night, and doing that EVERY night???
Supermarkets and multi story parking lots may become the ideal place for lots (hundreds) of 7KW posts. But I cannot see a bussiness owner stumping up the initial capital without government support and legislation.
Sadly both of these things rely on a driveway/dedicated parking space. If I had to faff with finding a public charger to use all the time, and/or have to pay the 50p per kWh Shell is charging for using their rapid I would dump the EV very very quickly.
Cutting grooves into the pavement is really not going to work, for a start do you want to messing around literally hands in the gutter on a wet cold British winter night, and doing that EVERY night???
Supermarkets and multi story parking lots may become the ideal place for lots (hundreds) of 7KW posts. But I cannot see a bussiness owner stumping up the initial capital without government support and legislation.
We live in a mid terrace, and drive a Zoe.
Bit of a tidy up of the back yard, and replacing the old yard wall and gate with an electric roller shutter, and problem solved.
We charge up at home probably once a week, then occasionally using public chargers when out and about, without having to take special journey's to find them.
Last public charge was at Ikea, where the Ecotricity rapid charger meant the car went from almost 10% to 99% in the time it took to just walk around the store, and pick up a few bits. We didn't even stop for meatballs in the restaurant.
Bit of a tidy up of the back yard, and replacing the old yard wall and gate with an electric roller shutter, and problem solved.
We charge up at home probably once a week, then occasionally using public chargers when out and about, without having to take special journey's to find them.
Last public charge was at Ikea, where the Ecotricity rapid charger meant the car went from almost 10% to 99% in the time it took to just walk around the store, and pick up a few bits. We didn't even stop for meatballs in the restaurant.
Cantbeatcc said:
This thread is interesting. All options for charging where no drive way is available are good. Ie lampposts, car parks etc. But they all assume a few cars requiring a charge. What happens when there are thousands and thousands of cars all needing a charge!!!
EV batteries are improving and infrastructure is improving. The newest EV small cars (Corsa, Zoe, 208) are getting 50kWh batteries and a range of between 150-250 miles.How many people do 150 miles a day? Not many. Infact, the UK average is only 150 miles a week now.
The average UK commute is only 20 something miles, so none of those cars will require charging daily.
Rapid chargers are already installed at many supermarkets, gyms, hotels, service stations and they will continue to grow as major providers like Shell and BP expand, as well as Ionity and Podpoint.
Destination (slow chargers) and workplace chargers (we have 8 chargers across 2 sites, and approx 8 frequent users at one site alone) will also be of benefit to people without off street charging options.
Cantbeatcc said:
This thread is interesting. All options for charging where no drive way is available are good. Ie lampposts, car parks etc. But they all assume a few cars requiring a charge. What happens when there are thousands and thousands of cars all needing a charge!!!
Thread necromancy from a brand new member in half term.Sigh.
squirejo said:
Do you have a petrol pump at home? Same for an EV then- you won’t need one- increasingly realistic with 300 mile ranges soon to become the norm and petrol stations amongst many other locations having chargers of all speeds.
And those of us with chargers at home will be happy to use them and leave the public ones for everyone else to useEvanivitch said:
EV batteries are improving and infrastructure is improving. The newest EV small cars (Corsa, Zoe, 208) are getting 50kWh batteries and a range of between 150-250 miles.
How many people do 150 miles a day? Not many. Infact, the UK average is only 150 miles a week now.
The average UK commute is only 20 something miles, so none of those cars will require charging daily.
Rapid chargers are already installed at many supermarkets, gyms, hotels, service stations and they will continue to grow as major providers like Shell and BP expand, as well as Ionity and Podpoint.
Destination (slow chargers) and workplace chargers (we have 8 chargers across 2 sites, and approx 8 frequent users at one site alone) will also be of benefit to people without off street charging options.
The problem for the charging company is throughput. A petrol or diesel fill takes, 5 to 10 minutes from space occupancy to space vacancy. EV charging takes perhaps 20 to 30 minutes. Will it get down to close to 10 minutes? I imagine most people will accept a 30 minute break or even 60 minute break on a long journey, but can the charging companies afford customers to take that long?How many people do 150 miles a day? Not many. Infact, the UK average is only 150 miles a week now.
The average UK commute is only 20 something miles, so none of those cars will require charging daily.
Rapid chargers are already installed at many supermarkets, gyms, hotels, service stations and they will continue to grow as major providers like Shell and BP expand, as well as Ionity and Podpoint.
Destination (slow chargers) and workplace chargers (we have 8 chargers across 2 sites, and approx 8 frequent users at one site alone) will also be of benefit to people without off street charging options.
Rapids are not really meant to be used for primary charging, but more to facilitate longer journeys (think of the energy being sucked through these things at any given moment!).
The general view is in order to sustainably support the transition to EVs, most charging will take place at 'destinations' (like home or work) and with incentives to do so at times that minimise the impact of the grid ('at home' and 'overnight' for example). Super convenient and zero wait time when doing this.
The issue therefore is how do we enable the large number of households, especially in urban areas, to be able to charge 'at home' when they don't have access to off-street parking? The good news is, solutions are out there and being tested in the field that will enable residents to charge on the street where they live (and no, this isn't a channel for a cable from your house to the car parked outside, unworkable as EVs scale).
The general view is in order to sustainably support the transition to EVs, most charging will take place at 'destinations' (like home or work) and with incentives to do so at times that minimise the impact of the grid ('at home' and 'overnight' for example). Super convenient and zero wait time when doing this.
The issue therefore is how do we enable the large number of households, especially in urban areas, to be able to charge 'at home' when they don't have access to off-street parking? The good news is, solutions are out there and being tested in the field that will enable residents to charge on the street where they live (and no, this isn't a channel for a cable from your house to the car parked outside, unworkable as EVs scale).
wfo123 said:
Rapids are not really meant to be used for primary charging, but more to facilitate longer journeys (think of the energy being sucked through these things at any given moment!).
Says who? As shown, there are many EV drivers that are doing exactly that.Tesla have throttled the charging on a few cars that have seen very high Supercharger usage, but they're still taking 90kW charging. No snails pace.
Pica-Pica said:
The problem for the charging company is throughput. A petrol or diesel fill takes, 5 to 10 minutes from space occupancy to space vacancy. EV charging takes perhaps 20 to 30 minutes. Will it get down to close to 10 minutes? I imagine most people will accept a 30 minute break or even 60 minute break on a long journey, but can the charging companies afford customers to take that long?
They can if they can sell electricity at a premium (Shell were charging 39p/kWh) or if they can upsell with coffee, food and entertainment whilst you wait.Evanivitch said:
Says who? As shown, there are many EV drivers that are doing exactly that.
Tesla have throttled the charging on a few cars that have seen very high Supercharger usage, but they're still taking 90kW charging. No snails pace.
Nat Grid? The question is how sustainable (let alone doable) this is when everyone goes EV. This is not an argument against rapids by any means as all sorts of charging infra will be needed, but there is already a focus on minimising the impact on the grid to support EV growth. If cars are parked at home >80% of the time, makes total sense to facilitate as much charging there as possible.Tesla have throttled the charging on a few cars that have seen very high Supercharger usage, but they're still taking 90kW charging. No snails pace.
Edited by wfo123 on Thursday 24th October 13:51
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