UK carmaker Vauxhall has highlighted the patchy access to pavement charging by getting in touch with councils across the country to find out whether they offer the facility to EV drivers who don’t have off-street parking, but could charge their cars on the street outside their house. 

The company found that just 42% of councils will have cross-pavement charging available by the end of 2026, and of those some are installing pavement gullies for free while others are charging up to £1,000.

Vauxhall says that it has partnered with Kerbo Charge, a company that installs pavement gullies that enable EV drivers to charge at home. Buyers of Vauxhalls can get £500 off the installation of a gully as part of the firm’s ‘Electric All In’ offer. 

Pavement charging has also been moved into the remit of the home charging grant since the beginning of April – the grant has been beefed up to £500, and offers landlords and renters some money towards installing a home charge point. 

Vauxhall boss Eurig Druce said that pavement charging is a great option for many EV drivers, but that more needed to be done to raise make it available. “To allow drivers across the country to feel confident going electric, councils need to ensure they are providing drivers with as much clarity as possible about the options available to them, and how they can install EV charging outside their door.”

​Vicky Parrott, editor of Electrifying.com, has been on the radio today to discuss the move – she Vauxhall’s efforts to promote pavement charging for EV drivers, but still thinks that more needs to be done by councils and the government. 

“We’re massively in favour of anything that helps EV drivers to charge more easily from home, including for those who don't have off-street parking,” she said. “These cross-pavement schemes have been in pilot phases for years in many places, and yet it's still not a clear and easy process for how you might apply to get the system fitted, and who is responsible for maintaining the charging gully after it's been installed.

"Councils need to streamline the process of having a cross-pavement charging gully installed, and make it all much clearer and easier to consumers, if it's to really have an impact on potential EV owners in the near future."