Regular Charged readers are familiar with the tragic Plight of the Drivewayless—millions of car owners living in urban neighborhoods depend on street parking, and thus have no way to charge EVs at home. All kinds of solutions, from the clever to the crazy, have been proposed.
Now UK-based firm Stormguard has launched a new product that offers a partial solution—one that could eliminate the problem for some drivers—at minimal cost. Is this miracle device a complex automated charging system? A super high-tech wireless charger? No, it’s a six-foot-long aluminum channel.
The product was born when retired engineer Colin Townend had a flash of insight: many urban EV owners could charge their cars at home if they could just run a cable across the sidewalk to the street—without creating a dangerous tripping hazard. His solution is a channel embedded in the pavement, with a brush strip that holds the cable in place.
The Stormguard EV Charge Cable Channel, which comes in 2- and 3-meter lengths, requires a 5 cm x 5 cm groove to be cut in the existing pavement with an angle grinder, which should take less than an hour. It’s shallow enough that it won’t interfere with underground utilities, wheelchairs and strollers can easily pass over, and the cable can be removed at any time.
The Channel could also be handy for homeowners with detached garages—installing the Channel is likely to be far easier and cheaper than trenching and burying cable.
Source: Stormguard