Pensioner 'barred' from charging EV outside house and next charger is miles away

An EV-owning pensioner has claimed he has been blocked from charging his electric car outside his home. David Kelsall, a retired car mechanic , has requested permission from Oldham Council for the past six months to charge his car on the street outside his home in Hathershaw. The local authority requires EV owners to get permission before they can use a charger on the street in order to prevent cases of pedestrians tripping up over cables on the pavement.

However, David has argued that his heart condition prevents him from using the nearest public charging point, which is around three miles away from his house. The motorist highlighted that the inability to feel safe whilst charging his vehicle at a publiuc charging point and lack of a driveway to replenish the battery at home has left him feeling unwell. Whilst David has received a number of responses from Oldham Council, he noted that they voiced concerns that on-street charging could pose a hazard for those using the pavement, even if a pavement channel, which would obscure the pavement, was installed.



Councillor Chris Goodwin from Oldham Council highlighted that the authority is currently awaiting guidance to ensure the safety of pedestrians whilst allowing EV owners to charge. He explained: "We are still waiting for guidance to be published and in the meantime are working with Transport for Greater Manchester to develop a regional approach." Whilst many electric car experts recommend all owners by a home charging unit, which is often much cheaper to use than public alternatives, not everyone has a driveway that they can use to plug in.

This is particularly the case in Northern England, with Transport for the North recently highlighting that 53 percent of motorists are forced to park on the street, making charging more difficult. As a result, a number of automotive industry experts are urging the Government to introduce measures to boost EV infrastructure by introducing new measures such as pop-up street chargers and cable ridges in the pavement..