If you’re thinking about getting an electric car but don’t have a driveway, Oxfordshire might have just solved the problem.
A new project from Oxfordshire County Council is rolling out special charging cable channels on pavements outside people’s homes, so you can plug in your EV safely even if you park on the street. Around 500 homes will benefit from the scheme, making it the biggest of its kind in the UK so far.
It’s partly funded by a £700,000 grant from the government and aims to make EV ownership more practical for people who don’t have off-street parking.
Guy Hargreaves, who tested a similar setup in 2022, says the charging channel “works so brilliantly” he “can’t find a single fault”. It’s helped him avoid costly public chargers and made at-home charging simple and safe.
Councillor Judy Roberts, who’s leading the scheme, says this could be a “game-changer” for the one-third of Oxfordshire residents who park on the street. She added that being able to charge where you normally park, at home and at lower electricity rates, could give more people the confidence to switch from petrol or diesel to electric.
The setup isn’t free; you’d pay the council £300 for a survey, installation, and a two-year licence. After that, it’s about £100 a year to keep it running.
This local scheme is part of a bigger plan to install at least 1,200 public EV chargers across Oxfordshire by 2027.
