Most EV drivers conduct the majority of their charging when the car is parked up overnight. However, this can present an issue for those without off-street parking, since one of the most convenient elements of EV ownership is unavailable.
There is support for EV drivers without access to off-street parking however, as there is a UK Government grant available for Local Authorities (LA) to cover much of the installation costs for a council installing on-street residential charge points.
This is a separate element to Charging at Home or Charging at Work, with a range of on-street charging solutions available to councils to encourage uptake of electric vehicles, and allow residents to charge their cars safely and conveniently.
What charge point models are available?
The decision as to what type of on-street charge point is installed in your neighbourhood is down to the council involved. However, there are a variety of different types of charge point that may suit some areas better than others.
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One type of on-street residential charge point is installed in or onto lamp posts, removing the need for additional street furniture and potentially keeping costs down.
Other commonly available types are free-standing or pillar units, that look much like public charge points, and positioned near to the kerb to keep the length of cable trailing to the vehicle to a minimum. Developments in this area include telescopic charge points, that can retract into the pavement when not in use.
On-street residential charge point power ratings will vary, typically with whatever is available at the location. The majority will be around 3 kW, similar to a basic home charge point, and fast enough to top-up an EV overnight.
Some will be faster, such as 5 kW or 7 kW, though these will depend on existing power supply available to the area. Most on-street residential charge points are Type 2 untethered units, requiring the driver to use their own cable – similar to public points.
How much will it cost?
Many on-street residential charge points will require a subscription or for the driver to be signed up to a tariff. In effect, this mirrors the same way of paying that a driver would use when charging at home.
One of the largest on-street residential charge point providers – Ubitricity – has a ‘smart cable’ which includes a meter on the cable itself. This replaces the need for an app or RFID card since it activates and stops the charge, while also calculating how much energy has been used so that the driver can be billed accordingly.
Some systems will operate in the same way as a normal public charging network, requiring an RFID card or app to start and stop the charge, also linked to an account. Since many on-street charge points are operated from power supplies otherwise used by lamp posts etc, councils will typically charge users a fee to use so that energy costs do not get out of hand.
To discover how much it will cost to charge an EV from an on-street residential charge point, head to Zap-Map’s Home Charging Calculator. This allows you to select any new or used plug-in vehicle, and tailor elements – such as electricity cost and charge required – for personalised results.
What funding is available for on-street residential EV charge points?
On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme
ORCS
Governmentscheme75%
of capitalcosts£4.5m
2019/20fundingLA
appliesfor grantThe Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) operates three grants to support the installation of charge points. On top of the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) and Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS), there is also the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS).
This funding is not available for residents however, and instead is provided to local authorities to support residential on-street charge point installation.
OLEV allocated £1.5 million for 2017/18, and £4.5 million for 2018/19 & 2019/20 for on-street residential projects, with local authorities able to claim grants on a first-come, first-served basis.
The funding is available for 75% of the capital costs of fully installed charge points, and associated dedicated parking bays where applicable.
The costs of installing on-street charge points can be as low as £200-£500 per unit, and the maximum amount OLEV will fund per charge point is £7,500 – though costs are expected to be much cheaper in most cases. Councils will have to demonstrate value for money during the application process.
The remaining minimum 25% of capital costs involved will need to be met by sources other than OLEV funding, and an element of the funding requires councils to meet on-going commitments.
More details on the EVHS can be found on the OLEV website.
Installer listings
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Public EV Networks in the UK
More than 20 different EV charging networks are currently available to UK EV users. Zap-Map’s guides provide details of each network, including coverage, membership types, cost and charging options.
Home and Workplace charging
Several UK suppliers and government schemes are available to help EV owners obtain a charging point for a home or work place. Zap-Map guides provide info on all the latest options available for home or work charging.