Mid-Terraced house EV charging options

[HangTime]

I can any sort of works like that being expensive/hassle, you basically can't dig up a trench without disrupting the access to at least two other garages plus our garage is leasehold so I imagine more pain getting the charger installed.

Here's a (not to scale) mspaint pic:

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Red is my house
Purple are neighbour houses
Green is my back garden
Grey is the courtyard
Blue is my garage
White are neighbour garages (except the bit connected to my garden, that's the back passageway to the rear gate.
Note the garages and houses are all terraced even though my pic implies there are gaps between them.

Realistically I think I'll just land on sitting back for a few years and seeing how things evolve, it could be that as EVs gain more traction that there will be more of a drive to boost charging facilities, local authority projects etc.

 

[Fuzz]

you could approach neighbours and ask if they want to run a cable while you do yours and share labour costs, even if they don't want an electric car now, its probably on their mind too. Would ease the disruption to them having a trench across the front of their property if they are getting something out of it too

 

[theone8181]

Tell me you've never lived in a terrace street without telling me, lol...

Tbh it's also an issue on houses that have shared drives (which are useless imo). I'm sure it wouldn't be impossible to have a load of charge points and using an app to do it on the street (basically what most public chargers are like), but cost is going to be the biggest issue I'd imagine. If it where the whole street you wouldn't have to worry about parking in the same spot everyday (which I'd imagine is pretty much impossible in a terraced anyway). No doubt somebody will then declare a charger to be "theirs" and it all starts again .

 

[throwaway4372]

People will have to eventually though, unless they want to run increasingly aging cars.

There are two other options:
1. Hydrogen instead.
2. Much faster charging at petrol stations.

 

[Semple]

Used to but have moved now.



Where I used to live in Kentish Town there were plenty throwing cables out of second floor windows and down trees to their Teslas.

Did that ever stay down when it rained?

Would certainly cure on street parking squabbles if every house had a specific parking spot (or two)

The types of people who have these on street parking squabbles aren't going to give two ***** about your designated bay for charging your car. No 'authority' is going to enforce it either.

 

[^JP^]

I can any sort of works like that being expensive/hassle, you basically can't dig up a trench without disrupting the access to at least two other garages plus our garage is leasehold so I imagine more pain getting the charger installed.

Here's a (not to scale) mspaint pic:

imgur.com

Discover the magic of the internet at Imgur, a community powered entertainment destination. Lift your spirits with funny jokes, trending memes, entertaining gifs, inspiring stories, viral videos, and so much more from users.

imgur.com

Red is my house
Purple are neighbour houses
Green is my back garden
Grey is the courtyard
Blue is my garage
White are neighbour garages (except the bit connected to my garden, that's the back passageway to the rear gate.
Note the garages and houses are all terraced even though my pic implies there are gaps between them.

Realistically I think I'll just land on sitting back for a few years and seeing how things evolve, it could be that as EVs gain more traction that there will be more of a drive to boost charging facilities, local authority projects etc.

Similar layout here except the houses and gardens are rotated 90deg counterclockwise so the gardens back onto the parking and garage area.

We are end terraced and our garage is attached to our garden and came with power installed by the developer but our middle neighbours garage is furtherest like yours across a brick weaved parking area.

Last year I watched as he had a trench dug along his garden to the gate and a then a company came in and tunnelled under the brick weave across to his garage without disturbing anything! Was impressive to watch.

He now has power and data to his garage and a charger on the wall outside the door.

No idea how much it cost but could be an option.

 

[dlockers]

Did that ever stay down when it rained?

It may be specific to me but terrace house = close to town. The car was rarely used so I only needed to charge it once in about 3 months. I just lifted the gaffa and redid it.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I can any sort of works like that being expensive/hassle, you basically can't dig up a trench without disrupting the access to at least two other garages plus our garage is leasehold so I imagine more pain getting the charger installed.

I can see that being a problem. Is the garage a separate plot to your house?

 

[Nasher]

Did that ever stay down when it rained?



The types of people who have these on street parking squabbles aren't going to give two ***** about your designated bay for charging your car. No 'authority' is going to enforce it either.

Keep parking outside their house so they can't charge their car would be a fun game

 

[Feek]

You apply to the council to dig a trench from your border, to your garage / parking space if it is across public /council land.
You contact an electrician, discuss plans for cable routing, supply, charger and get a quote.
You do this with other electricians / installers and pick a quote you're happy with.
You get it done and pay for it when it's done!
Grants may be available!

Perfect.

What happens when you don't have a dedicated parking space and someone is parked where you try and put your car and where your charger outlet goes to?

 

[Fuzz]

You apply to the council for a designated parking spot.

 

[Feek]

Yeah right, lol. Let's get back to the real world.

They won't grant it because the street is open parking. I live in a semi in a pleasant cul-de-sac which has off street parking in lay-bys that are parallel to a deep grass verge, then there's the pavement and then my front garden. Nobody has designated parking spots and there isn't enough space for all the cars.

That describes pretty much every house near where I live.

 

[jaybee]

Those cables across pathways need to be nipped in the bud asap. It's bad enough walking pathways these days with cars parked half up on them and wheelie bins everywhere, but to have trip hazards and obstacle courses like that is a big no from me. You are going to be held liable no matter how industrial strength you make the protective plastic/rubber step thing around it and no matter how much warning yellow colour you make it. Eye sore as well.

I sympathize with not being able to make it work for you but, millions of others are in the same boat so we need to wait for a better all round solution if we truly move over to EV. This is one of the major reasons why I can't see it working myself. I have an EV point on my house which I don't even use. (Previous owners).

 

[Feek]

I sympathize with not being able to make it work for you but, millions of others are in the same boat so we need to wait for a better all round solution if we truly move over to EV. This is one of the major reasons why I can't see it working myself.

This is exactly what I've been saying for ages, it's not practical or safe to start running cables over public areas, no matter how well they're covered, they're going to cause a problem. It doesn't take much for people to fall over, I'm a prime example of that having literally walked thousands and thousands of miles, to simply trip and knacker myself quite badly.

I'm probably seen as anti EV. I'm not anti EV, I just try and see the practicalities of running them for the general populous and we're still a long way away from that.

 

[dlockers]

I'm probably seen as anti EV. I'm not anti EV, I just try and see the practicalities of running them for the general populous and we're still a long way away from that.

Put your challenge into perspective though. Most folk won't need to leave their car plugged in for long periods of time. In fact, EVs as a business case only really work if you charge them overnight. A simple bit of give/take on the general public will solve 99% of issues.

A tidy, completely compliant cable tray, is not the big drama that people like to think it is. 99% do not care at all.

 

[Uther]

Put your challenge into perspective though. Most folk won't need to leave their car plugged in for long periods of time. In fact, EVs as a business case only really work if you charge them overnight. A simple bit of give/take on the general public will solve 99% of issues.

A tidy, completely compliant cable tray, is not the big drama that people like to think it is. 99% do not care at all.

Ok, so imagine a terraced street with a hundred houses with cables across the path in the future. Now, imagine you are blind, or in a wheelchair moving down that street...
It's not going to work.

 

[dlockers]

Ok, so imagine a terraced street with a hundred houses with cables across the path in the future. Now, imagine you are blind, or in a wheelchair moving down that street...
It's not going to work.

Much like a petrol station doesn't have a hundred houses worth of cars descending on it at once, I imagine it'll mostly self organise. My street didn't have enough parking for number of residents but in the 3 years I lived there, I parked the street over maybe once.

Obviously it depends on individual circumstances, but saying "It doesn't work because of this edge case" is wrong think tbh.

 

[Uther]

Much like a petrol station doesn't have a hundred houses worth of cars descending on it at once, I imagine it'll mostly self organise. My street didn't have enough parking for number of residents but in the 3 years I lived there, I parked the street over maybe once.

Obviously it depends on individual circumstances, but saying "It doesn't work because of this edge case" is wrong think tbh.

You're relying on people to use common sense and not be ***** though, so it won't work...
I live in an end terrace, block of three houses and can easily have a box on my wall. All the parking spaces run alongside my garden.
What are my neighbours supposed to do, demand I have their boxes fitted to my wall too, or run their 3 pin chargers across my garden...

 

[dlockers]

What are my neighbours supposed to do, demand I have their boxes fitted to my wall too...

Will it literally cause you any problems in the world if you did?

For some reason we have become a backwards ass nation where "help thy neighbour" is just an outrageous thing to suggest.

Anyway, no I am not saying fit a charger to your wall. But I am suggesting you can quite easily fit one to your wall and run a cable over the street in a cable tray.

 

[Uther]

Will it literally cause you any problems in the world if you did?

For some reason we have become a backwards ass nation where "help thy neighbour" is just an outrageous thing to suggest.

Anyway, no I am not saying fit a charger to your wall. But I am suggesting you can quite easily fit one to your wall and run a cable over the street in a cable tray.

Not where I live. Houses, path, large green space, another path, narrow road next to a junction that people can't park on...
Yeah yeah I know, edge case.
I'll end up with an EV, possibly as my next car in a few years, but I certainly don't pretend it will be easy or convenient for most people. It will be a complete ballache.