The answer to this question is yes, however there are some problems you may have. One of the problems, is that you have to apply to the local council for a plug-in point to be installed. An EV owner has to apply to have a plug-in point installed on their street, or outside there house. Another problem is that some people don’t have a driveway or access to off-street parking.
Here you will find out all the information, with regards to having an electric charging point for EV’s outside your home.
Do I have to pay for the installation of a charging point outside my house?
For a home electric charging point, it normally costs around £800.00, however the prices can be lower or higher. The price depends on the type of charging point you want to install. The government in the UK, is offering a grant of up to 75% for the installation of a new charging point. The maximum contribution that the government will give is £350.00.
Remember to always get a professional electrician, who is experienced and certified in installing EV chargers. Also, if the electrician is not a certified installer, your warranty for your charging point may be void.
Do I need planning permission from the Local Council to install a charging point?
The process of installing a new charging point normally takes around 2 hours to install. Planning permission is not required for the installation of a wall-mounted charging point, as long as it is used for off street parking and that it is 2 meters away from a highway.
If your vehicle will be parked in parking bay outside your home, depending on the layout of the car parking bays, there are two charging point options that are available; wall mounted or floor mounted charging points. The wall charging points are more common due to the ground surface not being able to be disturbed, or there is limited depth to install foundations for surface mounted charging points.
There are some standard conditions that are in place for the installation of charging points, under the Town and Country Planning Act 2015. This means that there are permitted development rights for charging points under a 1.6m height and you will not need to obtain planning permission for standard and fast charging points. However, some rapid charging points require permission, due to the height and some installations may require power supply upgrades.
Will my electric bill increase a lot?
Of course your electricity bill will increase, but the cost varies depending on the EV battery size. It has been said that, it costs approximately 10-14 pence per kWh. However, in saying this a lot of people charge their EV on off-peak in order to benefit, as the electricity rate is a lot cheaper and drops to around 6 pence per kWh.
For example; a BMW i8, has a 7 kWh battery and will approximately cost 70 pence to fully charge, but a Tesla model s 100d, has a 100kWh battery and will cost £10.00 to fully charge.
As you can see from the examples, your electricity bills will increase but this depends on if your EV has a bigger battery or if you charge your vehicle in the day time or overnight.
Can I have an electric charging point with no driveway?
If you don’t have a driveway outside your property, you will need to find an area with a short distance in front of your home for the charging cables. However, around a third of households in the UK don’t have off-street parking outside their homes, this means that EV owners have to charge their electric vehicles at public or work charging stations.
If you want to get an electric charging point on the street where you live, you can request this to your local council. The only downfall of requesting for the council to install a charging point on your street, is that a lot of people are asking for the same request in different areas and the council will more than likely not grant your request. The best advice is to get your neighbours to also put in the same request and you may stand a better chance of the council granting your request.
