Kerbocharge or similar in Ireland

Listendernow

Hey folks, this question was probably asked a number of times already but I did a few searches and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for, so here goes:

I'm currently considering purchasing a Tesla Model Y, and the big consideration for me is the fact that my house opens right on to the street. I have a side alley on my house that I own, so originally I was just thinking of installing the charger in there and rolling it out when necessary however, this is obviously not the right solution as it is a trip hazard. I had a bit of a poke around and there is that charge arm solution but to me that seems a bit extreme. Has anyone had any luck getting kerbocharge installed or similar? I have a very large footpath outside my house, it's about 1.5 cars wide (roughly), and so it would be real convenient to be able to just run the cable through it and pull it up when it is not being charged.

Cheers!

zg3409

Charge arm was installed in Dublin and then after council objected, so basically that's not allowed.

I see kerbocharge is basically a slot in the footpath. Permission is needed from footpath owner, and if that's the council zero chance. If it's a private estate you need to bring it up at the AGM but again there may be insurance and liability concerns.

Do not buy an EV if you can't charge at home. Public charging is messy slow and as expensive as petrol.

There is also a risk to yourself of a claim and it may not be covered by house nor car insurance if not legally installed etc. I have also heard of neighbours objecting to trip mats and trailing cables to the council and owner etc.

Listendernow

Thanks for the info, I guess I'll cross buying one off the list until I move home. I do wonder what the long-term plan is here regarding EV's if there is a group of people like myself who can't charge at home. It's incredibly weird to me that the council would take such issue with solutions that have clearly worked well in other countries, but oh well, c'est la vie I guess haha.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122690260#Comment_122690260

There are plans for charging hubs for people who don't have off street parking. There are grants for MUDs to retro fit EV charging, but it's currently useless as all the options available are as expensive as public charging.

 It's incredibly weird to me that the council would take such issue with solutions that have clearly worked well in other countries, but oh well, c'est la vie I guess haha.

Other countries don't have such a litigious culture. I was in France a few years ago in a village in the Alps and the whole main street was dug up with planks for access to all the shops there were no barriers anywhere and no one was injured. In Ireland we have people getting onto crashed buses.

jimmycrackcorm

My Sil got a Zappi installed at the kerb outside her apartment. The installer dug a conduit through the path and covered it up after. No one objected.

ted1

If it was me I’d just go ahead and install the kerbocharge. Much easier to ask for forgiveness

Listendernow

That's fair - One other suggestion someone gave to me was I happen to live like, right next door to a tesla supercharge, the one near castlebellingham ( < 5 mins away). It is massive and as far as I am aware (I pass it regularly) basically always empty with some exceptions. The car I was looking at was the new 600km Tesla model Y. Would I be mad to invest in that and just rely on the nearby supercharger for juice?

Exiled Rebel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693335#Comment_122693335

Has the public a right of way to your side alley? Surely the solution you are looking for lies there. Chargers come either tethered or untethered. For example when not in use the Zappi tethered cable wraps around the charger or if it's untethered the cable will be in the car.

Without seeing your alleyway it's kind of hard to visualise the tripping hazard.

Listendernow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693491#Comment_122693491

It's a side-alley that is only capable of fitting about a wheelie bin + a few inches, so no car access, and the opposing wall of the alley is another house. Not sure what the right name for it is, but yeah. The alley opens up out on to public footpath so basically my options are:

1. Park right up on the footpath next to it. It's a rural road, and a massively wide footpath so you could actually park a hiace van there and there would still be wheelchair / buggy access on the footpath, but still, parking on the path is illegal.

2. Use a charge arm in the alley to reach over the very wide pathway and park directly on the road

3. Kerbocharge, aligned with the alley.

I don't see a route to charge at home otherwise

Newoven

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122693335#Comment_122693335

With that on your doorstep you should be fine. That supercharger is still restricted to Teslas only so it tends to have spare chargers a lot of the time. There are three downsides to supercharging all the time though 1. the cost is relatively high compared with home charging though Tesla is one of the cheapest fast chargers. 2. you’ll probably have to stay with the car when you charge though maybe you could get home on foot if you’re that close. Be aware of any overstay fees at the charger thought - don’t leave it there if you’ve fully charged it or they might charge you per minute. 3.the manufacturers generally recommend slower charging for long battery life. I have no idea if the use of superchargers will really affect your battery health but it could affect trade in value some day.

Listendernow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122694214#Comment_122694214

Cheers for that. I suppose I'll have to have a think about it. I was on to that installer today and he reckons I am **** out of luck for basically any kind of charge point install. I guess it's mostly dead in the water unless I really decide I absolutely have to have one, which, I'm not sure I'm quite there yet. If the charging was a lot cheaper I'd be more on for it but it seems fairly equivalently expensive.

MojoMaker

Relative to?

It will always be cheaper than a tank of unleaded.

Newoven

I’ve owned a Model 3 for 2.5 years and I live in a terraced house so I don’t home charge. I don’t want to spend silly money on a charging arm and I don’t want my neighbours tripping over a cable on the pavement. I also frequently can’t park outside my house, and occasionally that could be the case for a week or more. But I live within walking distance of a few AC 11kw public chargers so I use them at weekends. On longer journeys I use Tesla superchargers and any other convenient ECars or Easygo chargers at my destination or along the way. I’ve just found out there are 4 AC chargers in a hotel near my parents house so I’ll start using them when I visit.
Its not as convenient as pumping petrol but I would not go back. The electric experience is worth the occasional hassle. If I lived close to a Tesla supercharger, or even passed one on a regular journey, it would be as good as charging at home. Except for the cost….I say go for it though I’d recommend the Model 3 over the Y unless you need the space.