Electric Avenue

23 April 2021

Will this be a new hire opportunity?

We’re being encouraged to swap diesel and petrol cars for greener alternatives like electric vehicles, but finding where to charge them can be challenging.

This was a topic that cropped up in my previous post about Phoenix Hire and Sales’ adoption of green vehicles.

It’s particularly difficult for the many motorists without access to a driveway or garage, who have to rely on public charging points or run cables from their houses – which is technically an offence as it could cause a pavement trip hazard.

It has been estimated that 40% of households don’t have a driveway, rising to 80% in some major towns and cities.

However, a government agency has recently awarded a grant to develop a system for digging safe channels to accommodate charging cables. A pilot project is now under way in Oxford.

Given the anticipated rise of electric vehicles nationwide, the need to install convenient charging points might create a lot installation work if new methods are approved.

The blog has already reported how home workers requiring better broadband are creating demand for domestic cable installation solutions in their houses and gardens, and how hirers can offer the appropriate equipment.

So maybe the rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure represents a similar opportunity.

• A system allowing drivers to recharge vehicles by connecting to a street lamp has been introduced by infrastructure services company FM Conway. One hundred on-column chargers have been installed in Kingston-upon-Thames offering 5.5kWh charging, with no need for planning permission or digging up the pavement, the company states.

Read the earlier post about Phoenix Hire and Sales’ adoption of greener vehicles here.

Photo: Mike/Pexels