EV Charging Now Available in the London Borough of Richmond — No Driveway Required

This resident in Barnes can charge safely at home for the first time

There’s good news for the estimated 60% of Richmond residents without a driveway -  charging an EV is now easier, safer, and dramatically cheaper!

The London Borough of Richmond is working with British innovators Kerbo Charge to roll out through-pavement EV charging channels — a home charging solution for residents who don’t have driveways. Instead of being reliant on public charge points, drivers can now safely charge their electric vehicles right outside their front door.

Here's how it works: when a resident wants to charge their car, they insert their charging cable into the channel, and the specially designed lid closes behind it like a zip, eliminating potentially hazardous cables stretching across footpaths.

Kerbo Charge founders Michael Goulden and Ben Whitaker pitched the product to the BBC’s Dragons’s Den in 2024 and received £50,000 investment from Deborah Meaden. Since then the technology has been adopted by 30 local authorities but most of these have been outside of London.

Deborah says “The best inventions solve widespread problems with simple and cost effective solutions and Kerbo Charge does just that! It obviously helps that I am keen to support business that helps pave the way to a more sustainable future and can see that the “Kerbo charge” solution will play an important role in helping Local authorites” 

The rollout of these through-pavement charging channels to all Richmond residents makes owning an EV much more appealing- residents can then charge off-peak for as little as £4, compared to around £25 when using neighbourhood public charge points.

Kerbo Charge is designed and manufactured in the UK and, unlike other systems, it flexes to fit the natural shape of London’s uneven pavements. This results in fast, discreet installations with minimum impact on the aesthetic of the street.

Michael Goulden, CEO and Co-founder of Kerbo Charge said: “Congratulations to Richmond Council - this is all about removing barriers to EV adoption and tackling the ‘pavement tax’ - the additional cost of owning an EV if you have on-street parking - which is 60% of Londoners!”

The cost of the installation is £1,350, residents and residents can take £350 off the cost of their charger by applying for a central government grant.

Residents should visit https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/roads_and_transport/vehicles/electric_vehicles/electric_vehicle_footway_channels  to place their order.