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In Derby City we are in the process of introducing more charging points. At the moment there is sucha variety available. Some, most even, are like petrol pumps and take up street space but they have fast charge capablity. Others are like those retractable bollards that raise and lower intothe ground but aren't fast charging at present.
When the latter have faster charge capablity hopefully widespread but discreet charging will be available. -
It's interesting to see which council will be the first to give them the green light.
Already happening. Lots of trials, some live.
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I'm not optimistic about electric cars. They mainly have the potential to vastly increase motor traffic even further if widely adopted and the greenwashing around them distracts from the fact that we have to vastly reduce motor traffic, not find new ways of trying to make it seem OK.
And Jingle_Jangle is right that such a channel would be a trip hazard. It's not good practice to install something like that across a footway, and would obviously be a problem for people using walking sticks or people unsteady on their feet. An overhead cable bridge would be better, but would cause other problems. The best thing would be a column inset in the footway like a bollard if there are no nearby lampposts, and linked to the house, if you want to charge from the house's electricity supply. I suppose it could be the same or closely similar product to one that could be linked to another electricity source. The issue of charging points merely awaits further third-party developments of a range of technical solutions to address the sort of issue Mr Kelsall has. While Oldham's specific concern may be a relative lack of driveways, it's perfectly possible to market something that would work across a wider range of issues and be adoptable by many councils, it just seems that either no-one has developed it or that Oldham Council hasn't contracted it in.
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Nice, and probably fine when first installed, but plenty of potential for being said trip hazard, especially across wide footways. The company obviously makes it sound idyllic, but it's a stopgap (no pun intended) solution at best.
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With regard to domestic charging crossing the public highway. There are inherent problems, some practical such as the obstructioons mentioned above and other with rights and licensing should there be a requirement to install domestic infrastructure.
Some might say it is unfair if some can charge domestically due to off street access whereas others can't. However, just like parking, if your house doesn't have off street capability you have no god given right to park outside your own home.
With regard to the domestic charging rate argument, and to play devil's advocate, does anyone have a personal petrol pump at their house with preferential rate fossil fuel? Why should there be a right just because the vehicle in question is electric? -
It's not that easy. Footways shift and if you stick a metal channel (I assume it must be metal) in the footway, there's plenty of potential for the bonded aggregate to develop gaps around it, similar to the infill around ironworks in the carriageway, especially if the object is quite long. I assume they may also have a modus operandi for footways laid in flags, but where I live they'd have to cut flags up to install a straight channel through them, and London at least has a high percentage of such footways. There's also the question whether it wouldn't become completely unmanageable at scale. Bollards, with the electricity conduit completely covered, would be a far better solution. They'd cost more at the first install but would be fairly unproblematic afterwards. The main problem with them would be vandalism.
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All good points. On the last question, people perceive it in this way because they've been led to believe that electric vehicles are 100% a good thing that should be promoted in every way possible. I personally don't see a problem with people wanting to charge them from their personal electricity supply; you could think of that as the normal price, i.e. all the costs inherent in delivering the energy to the house have already been factored in, just as when you buy fossil fuel at a petrol station, it obviously being too dangerous to have it in every house. People's expectations of energy cost are obviously influenced by fossil fuels being kept far too cheap, but I don't see why people shouldn't expect to be able to use their domestic supply. It's just a question of the technical solution.
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What about Englishwomen?
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Stop paying and what? I can't see the council bothering to come and rip stuff out.
Firt time open reach or virgin come buy to deal with infrastructure issues and it will all go wrong.
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Footways shift
Sure, but in theory that gets reported and the council pop round to fix it. My experience is people don't report things but when I do they are repaired quickly, eg failed street lights.
Bollards
Too much roadside pavement things are a nuisance for getting in and out of cars. eg my mum with her Zimmer or wheelchair needs the car door wide open so you can't squeeze past a bollard.
Flush when not in use are available and are being installed in some London boroughs. I'm yet to see one in use. Still lots of scope for the ground to move and then to be not flush.
And not 'free solar' or whatever. The whole charge with your special rate seems to be another leg up for people with capital.
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^^why is that not on the road where it belongs?
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Sure, but in theory that gets reported and the council pop round to fix it. My experience is people don't report things but when I do they are repaired quickly, eg failed street lights.
That's part of councils' statutory duties. Channels that are basically private infrastructure would be different. It can obviously be legislated for, but I don't think it has. (I don't know much about the legislation so may well be wrong.)
Bollards
Too much roadside pavement things are a nuisance for getting in and out of cars. eg my mum with her Zimmer or wheelchair needs the car door wide open so you can't squeeze past a bollard.
Really not a problem. Drivers would naturally park where a bollard wouldn't obstruct them, and it wouldn't be 'too much' infrastructure, e.g. it wouldn't have to be at every car parking space. Drivers would naturally rotate spots depending on whether they would need to charge or not.
Flush when not in use are available and are being installed in some London boroughs. I'm yet to see one in use. Still lots of scope for the ground to move and then to be not flush.
Much less of a problem with a small circle than with a long channel. It would also work well with paved footways.
And not 'free solar' or whatever. The whole charge with your special rate seems to be another leg up for people with capital.
I'm sure. Probably much harder to do if you live, say, in a third-floor flat.
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Drivers would naturally rotate spots depending on whether they would need to charge or not.
A friend lives on a road with a few of the lamppost chargers, the parking is in high demand all the time but they make it mostly work with a Whatsapp group. The group is more about organising who needs the chargers at any time and not for complaining about non-EV cars parked near said lampposts. Most people have charging cables that are long enough to park one or two spaces away and still charge.
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With regard to the domestic charging rate argument, and to play devil's advocate, does anyone have a personal petrol pump at their house with preferential rate fossil fuel? Why should there be a right just because the vehicle in question is electric?
No-one refines their own petrol/diesel to use at their own house, well, bio-diesel maybe. But plenty of people have paid for solar panels to generate their own electricty.
Are you equally annoyed at people with solar panels for getting a preferential electricity rate compared to those who have to buy it from the grid?
As I see it we're still in the early adoption phase of EVs and so a lack of nationwide infrastructure is expected. When they do become the majority many of these problems will have been solved somehow; caps on prices of public charging stations, competition to drive down prices (the Tory capitalist dream), etc.
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I read it that he has asked for permission to install a channel himself.
Even less dickish.
I think that what is interesting about it, and makes it newsworthy, is that these channels will likely become part of the near future street furniture. It's hard to see how the proposed move to EVs will otherwise occur.
It's interesting to see which council will be the first to give them the green light.
So, yes it looks on the surface like a local story about a grumpy git, but I think it is a actually story about the council and about the broader story of widescale EV adoption.