Huge demand for electric car home chargers may cause issues for councils

New data has found that demand for installations of electric car home chargers has grown massively in the past 12 months.

While the demand for EV home chargers shows that drivers are embracing the future of electric vehicles, there are fears that councils may not be able to keep up with demand.

There are lofty plans to install thousands of public charging points before the end of the year, with industry experts now warning that councils could get overwhelmed.

Alongside the popularity of home and public chargers, demand for on-street facilities has rocketed with millions of drivers across the UK not having access to a driveway.

According to MyBuilder.com, permission from local authorities is needed to run the necessary cables across pavements.

They are warning that this could lead to long wait times for councils, which could become overwhelmed with requests, and permission may not be granted in some cases.

The last 12 months have also seen a 156 percent spike in searches for “EV home charger installers”, with a 200 percent in the last three months alone.

Jonathan Steed, who is an electrician and works with MyBuilder.com, said that requests for EV home chargers had become far more common in recent months.

He added: “We’ve seen a significant rise in these jobs coming in. Many are still from people with driveways, but increasingly we are seeing requests from homeowners who don’t have such convenient facilities.

“While it’s still absolutely possible to install EV home chargers in properties without driveways – or even allocated parking – it does make the process more difficult, involving applications and permissions from local councils to run cables over pavements.”

As electric car ownership becomes more diverse, there will be a natural rise in the number of people who want EV home charging points, but may lack the physical space or facilities.

There have also been dramatic increases of over 140 percent for “fastest home charger” and “best EV home charger”.

Mr Steed continued, saying: “I have been in discussion with our local council about this as there are concerns that local councils are just not prepared for the issues that the influx of these requests will cause as EV ownership grows. 

“It’s a problem we have seen coming for a while yet – but it doesn’t seem to have sunk in yet.”

Any electric car owner can make the process easier by identifying the specification of chargers they need and finding a Government approved installer.

Motorists should then contact their local council to discuss the suitability and see whether permission is granted, with this process varying between local authorities.

If permission is granted, the council should be informed of the installation. Homeowners can then work with the installer to choose a suitable charger and cable to meet requirements.