Electric Vehicles EVs

However, cable gullies are literally a tiny flush slit in the pavement perpendicular to the street, and wouldn't impede many wheeled vehicles.

When they are new and maintained, sure. When they are a few years old, have got clogged up with dirt, the user doesn't bother to clean it out and the cable is now above the pavement level.

Those pictures also feature level paving which is far from the norm in much of the world.

I'm on a rant now, sorry.

This is a charge point from the Waltham Forest website - https://www.walthamforest.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/roads-and-pavements/electric-vehicle-charging-points

It's in the road which is great as IMHO motor vehicle infrastructure shouldn't imped onto narrow footways. But then there is some sort of power cabinet on the pavement which does narrow the footway. ARGH!

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Are you having issues with their app? My wife is complaining that it is a clunky piece of shit.
Happy with the car generally though.

The app is fair but a bit shit. Not as good as the Kia or Tesla one.

But it's a nice-to-have extra.

Mine is finally back in the garage having charge unit and screen replaced. I'm waiting to get a replacement hire car.

MG customer service still utter shite

I think the risk of this possibly happening at some point in the future is a relatively small price to pay in order to encourage uptake of zero-emission private transport.

Public chargers cost ~56p/kWh; overnight home charging on a smart tariff is ~7.5p/kWh. Enable those living in cities without driveways to take advantage of this and cut localised particulate/NOx emissions. No-brainer.

Waltham Forest already does far more than most places to encourage zero-emission private transport.

I don't want to encourage zero emissions at the tailpipe private motor vehicles in cities. I want to discourage all private motor vehicles in cities. Cut tail pipe and tyre particulates together while also making our cities better environments for pedestrians and cyclists.

Agreed, this would be ideal. I’d love to see a full phase-out of private cars in cities, with an appropriately-sized fleet of PAYG zero-emission shared vehicles available when really needed. Imagine streets unclogged from phalanxes of parked cars doing nothing 95% of the time…

Until this is actually viable, I believe that making it possible for those driving stinking diesels and older petrol cars around town to easily switch to a zero-exhaust-emissions car is a good thing for air quality in the short term.

True, but there’s still a massive barrier to home charging without a driveway, that could be easily overcome with cable gullies…

Got overtaken on the M6 yesterday by a Byd Seal, all black and didn't look half bad.

In a way I can see why Tesla is worried.....

I've seen a few out here in Oz, they look sick as. Waaaaay sexier than a Tesla.

I would think there are incentives for the house/car owner to maintain the gully if they are charging cars? They don't want damaged expensive charging cables or sliptripfall legal claims.

It's not like you couldn't identify the property owner.

I think there is loads of evidence of lots of motorists not really giving a shit. The kind of person that drives around with a headlight out or a tinted numberplate isn't the most conscientious or public minded individual.

I'd like to see a large scale experiment to prove / disprove the viability on this stuff* TBH. It doesn't seem too far fetched to imagine methods that circumvent some folks' crappy behaviour.

* cable gullies

Can't quite understand that enthusiasm! Just look like a slightly better designed Tesla.

I'm on the road a lot, the styling really stands out. I've only seen a couple tho', very new out here.

A bunch of local authorities are trialling them, eg https://gul-e.co.uk/

I think the full results will take a pavement resurfacing interval to really find out which is 15-20 years?

It doesn't really show up in the StreetView image but I passed this bit of pavement 6 days ago and it was so bad it has stuck in my head - https://maps.app.goo.gl/4ViLpwjLy5kUDQH77 - adding in a rigid channel that would stick out at one end or the other would be even worse. Maybe no pavement gullies within Xm of a tree?

Across the street there is a Tesla parked on a drive. It frequently sits there for tens of minutes with the headlights on. Why?

(the other side of the road is higher than us and their headlights shine right into my front room casting shadows on the back wall, it's kind of annoying)

EV design is disappointing currently, although I understand it's marketing led. Mainly seem to either be indistinct liftbacks (sedan?) or Car Wars SUVs.

Ever thought of popping round and asking them?

Madness!

I think the idea of that is great but the reality of that happening is non existent.

I think the key thing missing from the argument of having EV cable gullies on the footways is that it ignores the speed of technology. Look at how far battery tech and range has come in 5 years. Good EVs are now nearly at the range of ICE cars, and can charge very very quickly.

The enormous cost and massive disruption of tearing up the nations footways would take a decade, and by that time ordinary affordable EVs will go 400 miles between a charge that takes 15 mins, same as topping up at the petrol station now.

It depends entirely on everyone becoming a twat who's determined that no one else ever parks in "my space".

I guess that's a lot of British motorists anyway. Carry on.

Tbf though, I'm with you in the vain hope of getting cars out of cities but without politicians with balls bugger all will get done.

I recently moved to Lyon, cycle lanes are great as is public transport and there's still so many cunts driving through the city.