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Thu 10 Jul 2025
A system designed to ease electric car charging by routing cables through pavement gullies is being trialled by Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council.
Public walkways often prove to be an impediment to electric vehicle (EV) charging as cables strewn across the pavement present a health and safety risk to pedestrians.
The council wants to trial a new scheme that would allow residents who don’t have access to off-street parking the ability to charge their EV using cable channels embedded within the pavement. This allows them to use their cheaper, domestic energy supply as opposed to relying on commercial chargers.
Councillors will discuss the proposed trial next week and, if approved, residents wishing to charge their vehicles from home can apply for the installation of a “discreet and unobtrusive” charging gully within the pavement alongside a “safe socket” charging point.
The upfront cost to residents who choose to have a gully and charge point installed is partially offset by a central government grant.
The UK was the largest EV market in Europe in 2024 and the third in the world with over 382,000 EVs sold – up a fifth on the previous year.
While industry figures show that nearly 20% of all new UK cars registered throughout 2024 were EVs, EV adoption among private buyers has been lower than anticipated. An issue hampering adoption is access to a more reliable charging infrastructure, including kerbside or on-street chargers.
“Charging gullies could make owning an EV a more attractive option for residents who do not have off-street parking,” said councillor Andy Hadley.
“This is exactly the sort of innovative solution that residents have been asking us to provide and is an important part of our wider EV strategy.
“In addition to making car at-home charging more accessible, we are committed to rolling out more convenient public charging points.
“We currently have 110 charge points across BCP car parks and are looking to create an additional 500 charge points in the next five years; we are keen that these measures do not take space or create trip hazards for pedestrians.”
By charging vehicles using the domestic energy supply, costs can be as low as 5p per kWh (depending on supplier and tariff) compared to between 44p and 89p per kWh at a public charging station.
Other local authorities, including Devon County Council and Suffolk County Council, have already announced their own trials following national guidance issued by the government at the end of 2024.
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