Developers keen to get their utilities in place as they construct new housing or commercial developments may be increasingly focused on the EV side of electrical installation, in order to equip residents and workers with the means of charging up electric cars.
While most developers are not building anything like a palace, they can match what is set to happen at a real one by following the example being set by King Charles.
According to the Evening Standard, the eco-conscious monarch wants to turn the entire royal car fleet into electric vehicles over the coming years, with 27 EV chargers being fitted around Buckingham Palace to charge them up.
A letter to Westminster City Council stated: “This proposal, not only aims to address the reduction of carbon footprint at Buckingham Palace grounds, but as well, aims to support the needs of visitors, staff and local residents.”
The letter added that other royal residences could follow if the Buckingham Palace initiative is approved and is successful. Westminster City Council is yet to sign off on the plan.
King Charles has already used the first all-electric car in the royal household, an EV400 HSE Jaguar I-Pace.
Although installing EV chargers at Buckingham Palace may help encourage further electric vehicle adoption, an issue that fitting chargers in the spacious grounds of royal residences won’t address is what happens when drivers lack driveways in which to place a charger.
Developers building homes with driveways may not have this concern, but that won’t be the case at blocks of flats or for those installing chargers outside terraced homes where there is only street parking.
However, as the Worksop Guardian reports, a scheme run by Nottinghamshire County Council is hoping to tackle that with new charging cables. These have just been installed in the town of Retford for the first time.
The long cables can enable cars to be connected with chargers several metres away, preventing a situation where bulky installations would reduce space for pedestrians on pavements.