Most people who have an electric car have access to a driveway or private parking. In England, 90% EV owners can park easily and charge theirs from home. But roughly 40% of UK households don’t have off-street parking, so the question is how they would charge an EV and would easy access to home-charging influence their decision to acquire one.

The practical problems are well documented. In a block of flats or a tenement, installing an EV charger may not be an option due to the cost and the legal consent required from third parties who may have no interest in giving it. In a block of flats, installing an EV charger can also be difficult because it may require running cables from the flat’s electricity supply to a shared parking space, if one is available, or to the street where the vehicle is parked.

This can involve drilling through walls, installing cables through shared areas of the building and altering existing electrical infrastructure. Such work is generally more complex (and costly) than in a detached house, where a charger can usually be installed on an external wall close to the property’s electricity supply.

According to the Electric Vehicle Association, a non-profit representing EV drivers in England, 87% of EV owners with driveways say their car is cheaper to run than a petrol or diesel equivalent. Among those without, only half say the same because they have to default to more........

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