As part of the British government’s recent £63 Million boost for electric vehicle adoption, EV charging “gullies” are supported, aiming to stop cables trailing across pavements and encouraging homeowners without driveways to switch to electric vehicles, according to a report by the Guardian on July 12, 2025.
As the UK pushes ahead with its electric vehicle (EV) goals, a new government-backed scheme aims to remove one of the biggest barriers to EV adoption: charging access for drivers without off-street parking. With £25 million in new funding, local councils in England are being encouraged to install pavement gullies—narrow cable channels linking homes to curbsides—allowing EV owners to safely and affordably charge their cars from home.
This initiative addresses a common but risky workaround: residents trailing charging cables over public pavements, creating potential trip hazards. For the 9.3 million UK households without a driveway, charging an EV at home has often been out of reach—leaving them dependent on public charging networks where electricity is not only harder to access but also taxed at a higher 20% VAT rate compared to the 5% rate for domestic power.
The new “cross-pavement” charging gullies are a practical solution. Costing around £1,000 per installation including labor, they are essentially slim, covered trenches that protect the charging cable while keeping pavements clear. Companies like Kerbo Charge, Pavecross, and Gul-e already offer such systems. Kerbo Charge, for example, is active in 30 council areas from Stirling to Cornwall.
Michael Goulden, the co-founder of Kerbo Charge, said it was “excellent news that the government recognises the importance of cross-pavement charging to encourage the adoption of charging for people without driveways”.
EV drivers in the UK having to rely on public charging is a “clear barrier to adoption of EVs” by people in urban areas, with energy from some fast chargers costing more per mile than petrol, Goulden said.
Still, rollout has been uneven. Some councils have been reluctant to adopt the technology, citing maintenance costs, liability concerns, and uncertainty over who gets priority to park outside a given home. But for those in high-density neighborhoods where EV adoption lags due to infrastructure challenges, these gullies could be a game changer.
The £25m fund is modest in scale, but if widely adopted, could unlock at-home charging for tens of thousands of drivers. As the EV market continues to grow, creating convenient and affordable access to charging—especially for those in flats or terraced housing—will be essential to ensuring the transition is equitable, safe, and successful.
Heidi Alexander, the UK’s transport secretary, said: “We know access to charging is a barrier for people thinking of making the switch, and we are tackling that head-on so that everyone – whether or not they have a driveway – can access the benefits of going electric.”
Will Charging Gullies Come to the US?
As the U.K. rolls out a £25 million plan to help EV owners without driveways charge at home via pavement gullies, a natural question arises: Could charging gullies work in the United States?
In dense urban areas like New York City, Boston, San Francisco, or parts of Chicago and Los Angeles, charging gullies could address a very real problem. Many residents live in homes, townhomes or apartment buildings without access to garages or driveways, yet they still park on the street. While public charging stations are expanding, home charging remains cheaper and more convenient. In places where residents may be snaking cords over sidewalks, a built-in gully could be a safer alternative.
But there are major hurdles. In the U.S., sidewalk maintenance and regulation is often a patchwork between cities, counties, and homeowner responsibilities. Liability for injuries or damage can make cities reluctant to approve permanent sidewalk modifications.
Then there’s the issue of parking rights—few American cities guarantee curbside spots for residents, so installing a gully may not help if someone else parks in “your” spot. Still, the concept has potential.
Curbside and Lamppost EV Charging
Some startup companies and pilot programs are already installing curbside EV charging options and lamppost installations as different solutions for EV drivers, including those without home charging. Voltpost and it’s electric are two outstanding examples.
it’s electric, an innovative company based in Brooklyn, New York, is leading as first-mover in the curbside EV charging industry. Instead of relying on expensive and time-consuming new utility connections, it’s electric installs Level 2 charging posts that tap into unused electricity from nearby buildings via behind-the-meter connections. This approach allows installations at no cost to property owners or cities. In return, it’s electric shares a portion of the charging revenue with property owners—bringing clean transportation access and green economy benefits to every neighborhood.
Voltpost is transforming urban EV charging by retrofitting existing lampposts into smart, modular Level 2 chargers—offering a fast, affordable, and low-disruption solution for cities. Instead of digging up streets or installing new utility lines, Voltpost modifies lampposts with charging hardware that includes retractable cables, app-enabled access, and real-time usage analytics. Already live in places like Oak Park, Illinois and Metro Detroit—with pilots underway in New York and Connecticut—Voltpost is helping bridge the EV charging gap for apartment dwellers and those without driveways.
EVinfo.net’s Take
Many Americans without driveways or dedicated charging are barred from the benefits of home EV charging. As electric vehicles (EVs) become more mainstream in the U.S., many are discovering that going electric isn’t as simple as buying a car—it’s also about where and how you charge it. For the millions of Americans who lack a private driveway or garage, home charging is often out of reach.
These EV drivers—many living in older neighborhoods or urban areas—are dependent on public EV charging infrastructure that may be limited, and is more expensive and inconvenient.
This divide highlights a growing equity issue in the EV transition. Home charging is not only cheaper—thanks to lower residential electricity rates and incentives—but also more convenient, enabling overnight charging right at your doorstep. Without access to that, EV ownership becomes more difficult and expensive for otherwise willing participants. While some cities and startups are piloting innovative solutions like curbside charging stations and lamppost retrofits, these efforts don’t include cable management gullies.
To fully unlock the environmental and economic benefits of electric vehicles, policymakers and local governments will need to prioritize flexible, scalable infrastructure solutions that serve all EV drivers—not just those with a driveway. Making EV ownership accessible to more people means rethinking what “home charging” really means in 21st-century America.
A small-scale trial of charging gullies could be the next logical step in US cities where street parking and EV ownership intersect. Allowing reserved parking spaces on curbsides outside homes and multifamily housing for EV charging may be a necessary adjustment to the EV revolution.
As the U.S. quickly moves toward a more electrified transportation future, creative solutions will be essential—especially in older neighborhoods not designed with EVs in mind. Charging gullies may not be the perfect fit for every community, but they represent the kind of low-cost, high-impact innovation that deserves a closer look.
