Parking and charging electric cars.

[ericmark]

Where I live many people have converted their garage into a room, and due to steepness of drive their cars are parked on the street, this does not really cause a problem, the street is parallel to the main road, so only heavy vehicles are the bin wagons, and many drives have also been ripped up and turned into a garden due to being so steep.

However with electric cars to charge on the street would mean a cable across the foot path, and it is likely people have not had planning permission to get rid of the garage so seems unlikely they would be allowed to charge cars on the street.

I am an odd one out, I have room to park 4 cars on my property, but even then the drive is so steep if it snows I am stuck, I would never get the car on the road. And wife's car does not have enough ground clearance to park at back of house.

There is as a result of garages being turned into rooms limited parking space, so often cars are parked some distance from the house.

I have not seen any electric cars as yet, other then where I work where there are two public car charging points, so wonder how people get around the problem of on street parking and charging electric cars?

 

[RandomGrinch]

Hi,
I'm afraid I can't answer the question, but have been thinking exactly the same thing.
I live in a South Wales town where the housing is predominantly terraces on narrow streets, no front gardens and no off-street parking.
My feeling is, this will become a local authority issue; along with a parking permit, you could rent a dedicated space and charging point outside your house.
There are kerbside chargers available but these are expensive.
https://fleetworld.co.uk/kerbside-charging-marks-world-first-for-evs/
On the other hand, we may be incentivised (through extortionate taxes ) to stop using cars all together...
It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

[cdbe]

My grand idea was that you'd have a universal battery pack, back into a docking station at the garage and get it swapped, like a gas cylinder. Doesn't seem to have caught on so now I'm pinning my hopes on a solar panel on the roof - it seemed to work quite well on Logan's Run and the technology must have improved since then.

 

[ericmark]

That is OK with wide roads and pavements, however it clearly stops people parking part on the pavement. The route I take to post box there is at the moment not enough room for a wheel chair user to get past the cars, although we may manage as it is, clearly pods like that that need enough room behind them for a wheel chair user to pass, seem to remember minimum width for door way 32" and corridor 36" so would need at least 48" wide pavement to fit them.

 

[big-all]

View attachment 237530 That is OK with wide roads and pavements, however it clearly stops people parking part on the pavement. The route I take to post box there is at the moment not enough room for a wheel chair user to get past the cars, although we may manage as it is, clearly pods like that View attachment 237531 that need enough room behind them for a wheel chair user to pass, seem to remember minimum width for door way 32" and corridor 36" so would need at least 48" wide pavement to fit them.

you are conflating two things here a bit
a doorway in a house has both a door and door stops in the way so 2ft 6 is nearer 2ft3" or 700mm but this includes the need to manover at right angle at the door for corridors
where as street furniture can probably be as close as 600- 650mm with plenty off room in a strait line ??

 

[RandomGrinch]

Another alternative I've seen, but not cheap, or simple!
The UEone:

Could even be mounted in the road.

...or could most cars be fitted with induction loops for trickle charging?

 

[troutybrown]

We have street lights with charging points built in.

 

[EFLImpudence]

It all looks very 'green' and vandal/drunk-proof.

 

[ericmark]

That looks a lot better, the lamp post does not work, as they are normally on the garden side of a walkway not the road side, and with many streets actually on house walls.
Clearly there needs to be cables laid to these charge points, where I live there are parking areas well away from the houses, so these charging points would be for common use not limited to the local residents. What that will mean is cars only parked where they are not causing an obstruction, as the local authority would clearly not give permission to fit them where they will cause an obstruction.

My daughter lived in Chester for a time, in rented accommodation with no off street parking, and it was a real pain when the slot was taken already, reversing back out of the street, so with parking associated with charging point then any charge for parking would be integral with charge for charging as well, and could be reserved for set times, so one could pre-book ones parking space.

It does however mean you need a smart phone to park, not sure how that will work?

 

[Gasguru]

Swapping the whole battery pack out is already being done in China...fully automated and takes a minute or 2.

 

[mattylad]

I live in an 1855 terrace on a major road with no parking unless I go and compete for a place (of which there are few) on the streets, so I may have to walk to my car (shock horror!).
The nearest charge point (a single one) that I know of is in a local NHS building that is all that remains of an old workhouse/hospital.

Even if there were more I still think I won't have one, they may be fine initially but once the batteries need replacing I would not be able to afford it so its a no go for me.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I agree mattylad. The move to electric vehicles and the associated difficulties might mean giving up on the car for me. I am not a great fan of public transport, but it may be necessary to use it more 'for the greater good'!
It seems a case that the idea of being carbon neutral is overtaking the practicalities of getting the infrastructure up and running. And without a consistent approach, who can say which technology will win out, whether it be fast charging stations, battery swaps, kerbside charging, or ditching the car for improved public transport.
Another case where the infrastructure hasn't been sorted yet; anyone for hydrogen burning central heating, hobs, or heatpumps?

 

[ericmark]

The old system used by Lucas had replaceable batteries, not a new idea, this was done in the 70's, but it is down to who owns the batteries and has to maintain them.

But to charge a battery takes time, so the idea of the petrol station is not going to work, the charge points need to be where the car is normally parked, be it a multi-story car park, works car park, or home parking, it is all well and good Ikea having four charge bays, or my local Heritage railway having two charge bays, but the town centre multi-story car park having 100 charge bays is I think is a pipe dream.

We don't bring petrol home in cans and fill the car outside the house so no reason to do that with an electric car, but it would mean 1000's of charge points.

I use an e-bike, and found yes I can remove my battery and take it to a supermarket to charge it, but I am sure if there were loads of people wanting to do the same it would soon change. And I can carry my e-bike battery but not one for a car.

As to public transport the Covid19 has shown how that does not work, before Colvid19 I would cycle to the station, and pay £3.50 to put my bike on the train, and the trains were at least 3 a day in summer but not Monday or Friday, however 50 minutes do do the 8 mile means 2 hours or 4½ hours to do the shopping or anything else in Welshpool, including a bike ride along the tow path so it seemed we could use public transport. Even without the bike there was enough time, so possible.

However as Colvid19 arrived the Heritage railways was considered as a tourist attraction so stopped running, and when it restarted only the Llanfair station was used, it was considered they could not make the Welshpool station Colvid safe. So you have to pre-book the ride, and you can't get off at Welshpool even on the odd times it goes that far.

Local bus has a 30 minute time in Welshpool or a 5 hours, and will not carry my push bike, and so it is really useless.

 

[Tigercubrider]

Tesco have added loads of charge points at bigger stores, the assumption being that people will shop while charging.
Afaik the points at work send an email or text telling you to move your car to a non charging space once charged. We have loads but also have lots of on site parking