UK households with no driveway will be able to access cheaper domestic energy rates with a 2p per mile plan
A new law has been announced this week which impacts all households without driveways across the UK. An update in the rules for charging electric vehicles at home was announced on Wednesday with the new regulations set to make it ‘easier and cheaper’ for both renters and those who don’t have a private driveway.
The new law will make it compulsory for leaseholders to install EV charge points in covered car parks. It will also see planning permission rules on pavement charging points being scrapped.
Currently, anyone parking on the street and needing a cable to cross the public pavement must apply for full planning permission which can cost hundreds in fees and take weeks to approve, the Express reports.
However, the government intends to remove the requirement for planning permission to install discreet cross-pavement charging gullies which are narrow channels that safely carry cables under the pavement from home to car.
These new rules could save drivers £250 in application fees, while allowing EV owners to access lower, standard domestic electricity prices.
The changes will grant more drivers access to standard household electricity rates instead of having to make use of more expensive public chargers.
Relying on a cheap EV tariff at home instead would make running an EV cost 2p per mile, or ‘the equivalent of London to Birmingham for £2.50’, the Department for Transport said.
The majority of the public charger growth has taken place outside of London, with the number of devices installed outside of the capital growing by 24.3%, compared to 21.7% within it.
Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: “Wherever you park your car, we’re making it fairer, easier, and cheaper to make the switch to electric.
“These reforms will improve infrastructure for the EV revolution, increase charge points across the country and open up affordable home charging to thousands more households.
“It’s good news for drivers and a big boost for the growing British EV industry – cutting costs and supporting jobs to deliver our Plan for Change.”
However, motoring expert Quentin Wilson told Yahoo News that the reforms won’t guarantee residents being able to set up their own chargers, even by scrapping fees.
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He said: “Only today I received an email from a York EV owner who is not allowed by his council to run a pavement gully outside his house.
“I get dozens of complaints from residents whose applications for gully charging are being blocked by councils who don’t understand that the technology is proven and safe and offers significantly lower charging cost.
“The government needs to mandate councils to allow this simple inexpensive charging solution for those drivers who request it.”