A new trial is being rolled out which allows residents without driveways to apply for a free cross-pavement channel to charge their electric vehicle from home

More than 60 residents so far have been successful in applying for Lancashire County Council's trial of three different types of cross pavement channels, also known as 'cable trays' which are sited on residential roads across all 12 districts in the borough.

Mike Pickering, 65, from Nelson, has arthritis and has a rechargeable car through the Motability scheme. He says that the convenience and the financial benefits of charging on his own street have given him more freedom to use his car whenever he feels like it.

He said: "I live in a terraced street and this is the first scheme I have been able to use that is really local to me. The benefits include it being eight times cheaper and the convenience of charging it so close, overnight.

"It costs 87p a kilowatt on some of the paid charging points but charging from home is just 7p to 9p per kilowatt. It can really add up – now I can charge the car for around a tenner, whereas it previously cost £70-80.

"Previously, I had to take two buses either way to get home and back to the car whilst it charged at the Nissan garage in Burnley, or I could use much dearer public charging points.

"As I can charge the car more often for less money, this means that I can be less cautious about when I use it. I can go shopping and make trips out when I need to and now have the freedom of being able to pop out more.

"There have only been benefits for me with this free trial, there have been no drawbacks and I would urge anybody eligible to sign up to take part."

The trial is being funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) under the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot Fund.

Cllr Shaun Turner, cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change said: "This is a fantastic scheme which allows eligible residents who have to park on the road to apply for a cross pavement channel installed free to gather their feedback.

"The electric vehicle charging cable runs from their home electricity supply, directly to their vehicle via a channel which is cut into the pavement surface. A metal or plastic case is slotted into the channel to contain the charging cable safely and reduce trip hazards, whilst the vehicle is being charged.

"As Mike Pickering's story shows, it can make a huge difference to users' time, finances and opportunities to access more days out, trips shopping or for medical appointments and access to employment and training opportunities. There are still limited spaces for the trials, so apply now!"

This delivery is part of wider programme for EV charging infrastructure in Lancashire. The strategy for this can be viewed at Installation of electric vehicle charge points throughout Lancashire - Lancashire County Council. For the duration of the pilot, eligible properties can have the cross-pavement channels installed free of charge in order to gather their feedback on the performance of the channels.

Residents are encouraged to contact EV Charging Infrastructure team on EVCharging@lancashire.gov.uk for more information and how to express their interest in participating in the trial.

Please note, the application window will be closed once maximum participant numbers have been reached and there are only a limited number of places left.

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet about it