London - charging from home

[Adio]

Hi everyone

New here and new to EVs generally. Just taken an Outlander PHEV for a test drive and liked the vehicle. Nice to find a hybrid with plenty of room in the back for dogs.

In considering this vehicle, I also need to consider to how charge it. The car will be parked on the street and I need to figure out the best way to run the cable from the house to the car.

So far the best solution I have come up with with is a tough, plastic cable protector that would lay across the pavement while the car is charging. I spoke to my borough council (Hackney) about this and their answer was:
- we get lots of requests just like yours asking about this
- we don't recommend you do this
- but we do recognise that some residents are doing this out of necessity
- and we have included this in our study of how we can, as a borough, best support our residents moving to EVs.

My question to this forum is - does anyone here have:
- experience of doing this?
- other recommendations?
- things I should know/think about?

(I have requested a street installation of a charge point... I'm not filled with confidence.)

Many thanks
Adrian

 

[maby]

In this litigious world, I wouldn't risk it - the first person that trips could sue your ass off and I doubt that your insurance would cover you.

 

[Blue]

I have had to do something very similar myself, due tothe fact my drive is very short and the PHEV doesnt quite fit. Fortunately I live at the end of a cul-de-sac, so my cable does not get in the way of pedestrians etc..

I am guessing you would need a lengthy cable if running from a house, across pavements to a street (maybe 9-10m?).
Its worth remembering that your cable will likely be un-tethered, therefore likely to be stolen, and at £2-300 a cable, you wouldnt want to lose too many of them.

 

[Regulo]

I agree with Maby, this is just not going to work for you. Much too risky, I think. If you can't charge at home, is there anywhere else available - at work? If not, and you really, really want a PHEV, you'll be using it as a petrol hybrid, and looking at 40 to 50 mpg, depending on use. Also, Mitsu recommend a full charge every 2 weeks. Will that be possible? And if you only have access to an on street or service station fast charger you'll only get 80% charge anyway, and do your battery no good at all in the long run. Sorry to put such a downer on your plans, but best to know the ins and outs before signing a load of dosh away on something impractical.

 

[Peleep]

Get yourself an outdoor trunk cable protector, at the right length. They're black rubber and quite heavy duty. Also get a couple of sandbags. An outdoor 13-16A rated extension cable (usually orange or blue colour). Make sure the cable has suitable outdoor plug rating to protect from rain.

Power companies and councils use these trunking all the time. You need to make sure it is clearly visible. And it is secure. Lock the charging cable to the car. No one will nick the extension cable.

Costs:

External 25m extension cable £25
Trunking 2m £20
Sandbags £10
Combination lock £5

 

[jaapv]

 

[Adio]

Thank everyone for your relies. Really useful.

We do have some local charge points that we could use for the 80% charge. That'd be no problem (provided they're working).

Litigation is a concern, but I think there's a lot to be said for taking a health & safety-focused approach to mitigate some of the risks. I'd considered tough trunking; putting sandbags there too to hold down the cable at each end seems like a great idea. Thanks.

Some more lateral thinking on this - actually borrowed from some neighbours - is to invest in two clothes lines and create a cable bridge from our garden to the roadside tree, across the pedestrian pavement (only 1.5m wide). Could do this with a 10m cable coming into the house, which would alter us to someone fiddling with the cable.

Thanks again for your input.

I'll let you know how we get on... =)

Adrian

 

[kentphev]

Consider also that your 13A charger is worth about £400 and is totally unsecured while outside. If you are going to leave it outside you should find some way to permanently and visibly mark it as a deterrent against theft.

 

[jaapv]

I said it before - park with a wheel on the cable.

 

[Adio]

OK folks. We might be absolutely crazy, but as I said to my other half yesterday, think of us as pioneers...

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, GX4H ordered. And an 8m domestic charge cable. And two washing-line poles.

How hard can it be? =)

Watch this space. Thanks for your valuable input.

 

[Driver5]

Dont forget you cant get a grant for a charger if there is no off street parking.

 

[Adio]

@driver5 - thanks for the note. Do you have more details about the grant? I've seen a lot of providers who install charge facilities for off street parking but none for on street...

I'd be interested to find out more.

Cheers.

 

[PeterGalbavy]

Start here: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-low-emission-vehicles

While a government site, so a little primitive, the material is quite clear and readable.

 

[spellinn]

- experience of doing this?
- other recommendations?
- things I should know/think about?

I've been charging this way for several months with no issues.

I asked the same question to my council, and got pretty much the same reply.

I use one of these across the pavement outside of our house to prevent it being a trip hazard:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003QRJOVA

Whilst I do live in a cul de sac, we're in the middle so get a fair amount of foot traffic from 25 or so houses past our house, and no one has said anything so far (plenty of positive comments on the car though!)

I'm an Electronic Engineer, so ran an armoured cable to our front gate and fitted a waterproof socket there to plug in the charger myself. I got the electrician to test and connect it up when they fitted my main 32A charging point at the rear of our house (which is inconvenient to park at, hence why we put in the front charging option too)

I live in a relatively safe area and don't bother parking on my cable overnight.

Cheers

Neil

 

[Titan]

I use similar stuff but with yellow strips down both sides. Wanted it eye catching

 

[Adio]

@ spellin and titan - thanks loads, really appreciate that.

Good to know others are doing it too.

Next battle is picking through who harangue a Hackney Council to make sure they're talking to this Bollore outfit so that the proper street parking infrastructure is put in place... Not holding breath.

 

[PeterGalbavy]

Ah the fun of bureaucracy. I can't apply for my home charge point until I have a completed off street parking part. I have applied for my dropped kerb and Barnet are processing what they agree is a simple application but no idea how long. They survey, send a letter to approve (I hope) then I have to have my side done before they then get their exclusive contractors to do the kerb. Only after all this - I am guessing 2 months - can I apply for the OLEV grant supported charge point, which in turn will be 2-4 weeks depending.

So, as others have done, I am going to bodge it for a while and hope no one complains; I live in a quiet road and on a weekend the only foot traffic is occasional and some prams... So, I'm going to order

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0083GLMKU - 10m heavy duty extension (1.25mm cores apparently)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00FYRW5CK - 1.8m black / yellow cable cover

As a typically weekend only driver, I will (weather permitting) top up the PHEV while at home either Sat or Sunday until I get the drive and the EVSE sorted. Luckily, summer should mean that for the first few months the weather will be OK-ish.

I was tempted by a 10m Type 2 Mode 1 portable "charger" but at £400+ I though "no". For now. I'll just use the supplied one.

 

[PeterGalbavy]

Actually, Amazon also suggested this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NNQYVDK - Outdoor box in orange

Any idea if it's feasible to put the "charger" into that box and just run the cable to the car across the pavement (under a rubber cover) ? Does it get hot etc.? Just left on my footpath, not attached to a wall.

As I don't yet have the car I am also not sure if the car side cable is 3m or 5m (I have seen conflicting comments and web sites) - 3m would be too short to cross the pavement and go up to the port I think.

 

[unconditional]

If you're able to use the same parking spot on the street it may be possible to knock up a swing-arm of some kind, think the old style petrol forecourts where you'd have a petrol pump or airline on a iron swing arm so the supply drop from above. This would save the faff of setting up leads and rubber protectors, although the risk-averse council would probably have a meltdown at the idea of pedestrians walking under homemade overhead power infrastructure.

If we're to use electric cars particularly in cities like london with our parking issues then we need some lateral thinking on charge points, right now the companies on this particular government cash gravy train tend to want only the quick/easy jobs, and if you approach them looking for advice and to purchase the charge units for the jobs they're unwilling/unable to fulfil you get some funny reactions.

 

[maby]

If you're able to use the same parking spot on the street it may be possible to knock up a swing-arm of some kind, think the old style petrol forecourts where you'd have a petrol pump or airline on a iron swing arm so the supply drop from above. This would save the faff of setting up leads and rubber protectors, although the risk-averse council would probably have a meltdown at the idea of pedestrians walking under homemade overhead power infrastructure.

....

Be careful of the legality of this. I'm in the process of selling the house of an elderly relative who has moved into a care home and through some dodgy maintenance in the past, we have the situation where a pipe is extending a couple of feet beyond the boundary of the property about ten feet off the ground. This has caused us significant grief with the purchasers' solicitor telling us that it requires a "flying freehold" and wanting us to fund an indemnity insurance against the new owner being forced to change it. As the saying goes, "I am not a lawyer", but there certainly are potential issues associated with you adding anything to your property that extends beyond its boundary - even at a significant height off the ground!