Andy Burnham is set to oversee another rule update affecting electric car owners, with changes coming in just days.
Andy Burnham will introduce a major new EV rule in just days (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham is set to introduce a major electric car update in a matter of days, with EV owners set to feel the impact. The Prime Minister will cut red tape for cross-pavement solutions from October 21, helping motorists without a driveway save on expensive EV charging costs. Electric car owners with their own driveway pay 0% VAT to charge their EV at home, with owners enjoying rates as low as 7p per kWh.
However, millions of homes in the UK don’t have access to a driveway or off-street parking, with these owners forced to pay 20% VAT or up to 50p per kWh. To get around this, road users can install cross-pavement solutions, such as pavement gullies, to connect their domestic supply to their EV.
However, up until now the process has been subject to planning permission rules. Mr Burnham’s new changes cut back on the bureaucracy, with road users now only requiring local permission which should be much faster.
The DfT previously said: “For certain dwellings, a cross-pavement solution is a system that enables a safe passage between a home chargepoint and a vehicle parked on the street. It typically does this by allowing a charging cable to cross the pavement in a way that minimises trip hazards and maintains accessibility for pedestrians.
“The use of cross-pavement solutions helps to minimise and remove the dangers associated with trailing cables across public footways, which can pose risks to pedestrians, especially those with mobility or visual impairments.” The changes to planning permission rules come into effect on October 21, meaning road users only have days left to understand the changes. However, there are still some concerns.
Labour will cut red tape on cross-pavement solutions, such as pavement gullies (Image: DfT)
James Court, public policy director at Octopus Electric Vehicles, stressed that cutting unnecessary red tape was a sensible move, but warned road users could still be facing a “postcode lottery”, with some councils likely to be faster at making approvals than others.
Mr Court said: “It doesn’t solve the bigger problem. Councils will still decide whether these installations can go ahead, leaving us with a postcode lottery where one council enables cheap home charging.
“With around 40% of households without off-street parking, closing the ‘driveway divide’ means making safe cross-pavement charging available to everyone who needs it. This is a positive step, but there’s more to do.”
The update is the second EV rule change this month, with Mr Burnham already slashing VAT fees for domestic electricity rates from 20% to 0% on October 1.