Home EV charging provider Pod has partnered with Kerbo Charge to provide a seamless home charging solution for drivers with on-street parking.
One in three UK homes don’t have a driveway, typically locking residents out of home EV charging. Without off-street parking, the cable from a home charger can’t safely reach vehicles on the street – leaving drivers reliant on more expensive public charging. Pod and Kerbo Charge are making that easier to fix than ever before.
The two businesses have built a joined-up referral partnership so that drivers who need both a cross-pavement channel and a home charger can get them without having to piece it together separately. Kerbo Charge builds the channel, while Pod provides the charger – and at a significantly discounted rate if the driver is eligible for the grant.
Drivers who come to Pod looking for an on-street charging solution get referred to Kerbo Charge to install a cross-pavement channel first. Kerbo Charge customers who already have their channel in place get referred straight to Pod to apply for the grant and install a Pod Point charger. Whichever route customers take, the result is the same: easy and affordable home EV charging.
Kerbo Charge’s cable gully system runs a charging cable safely through a discreet, self-closing channel built into the pavement. Pod’s home EV charger, Pod Point Solo 3S, works seamlessly with the gully, allowing drivers to take advantage of cheaper home electricity tariffs.
Eligible drivers can currently claim up to £500 off the cost of installing a home charger through the government’s Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for households with on-street parking. To qualify, you must own or rent your property, have on-street parking only, and install a cross-pavement solution such as a charging gully. This is the final year this grant is available, so drivers who apply now get the full benefit.
The savings don’t stop there: switching from public charging to home charging saves drivers around £1,100 a year, especially if they switch to a dedicated home tariff such as Pod Power by EDF. Exclusive to Pod customers, it offers a seven-hour nightly off-peak window at 6.49p per kilowatt-hour, the longest and lowest off-peak rate available.
All Pod customers can also earn up to £100 a year through Pod Rewards, its smart charging programme. Drivers set a target charge in the Pod Home app, and Pod handles the scheduling automatically, optimising it to avoid peak hours and make the most of renewable energy. Pod Rewards can be withdrawn as cash once users have £10 in their wallet.
Debbie Foley, Chief Revenue Officer at Pod, said: “The UK’s energy transition can only succeed if it works for everyone, and creates real benefits to people’s everyday lives. Right now millions of people are missing out on an affordable way to run an EV, simply because of where they live. Our partnership with Kerbo Charge removes one of the most practical barriers standing in the way, making it straightforward for drivers to make the EV switch, claim grants they’re entitled to, and start saving by living electric from day one.”
Michael Goulden, Co-Founder and CEO of Kerbo Charge, said: “This is a good news story for every driver that doesn’t have a driveway and wants to go electric. Now, through a few simple steps, they can request a cross-pavement channel from us, and an award-winning charger from Pod, all as part of the same streamlined process.”
Kerbo Charge works with local authorities across the UK to get channel installations approved, street by street. The great news is that 81% of English local authorities have successfully applied for funds from the £25m Electric Vehicle (EV) pavement channels grant, meaning a majority of the 8 million households without driveways will soon have access to a cross-pavement channel. In Scotland, a separate grant funded by Transport Scotland offers up to £3,500 towards a cross-pavement charging solution, with East Lothian and Renfrewshire currently accepting applications. Drivers who want to know whether their street is eligible can check directly with Kerbo Charge.
Editor’s comment:
The timing of this partnership launch is particularly relevant. September’s new car registration plates are now upon us, and thousands of drivers will be weighing up the switch to electric for the first time. For those without a driveway, this partnership means there’s now a clear, affordable path to making it work at home, with government grants still on the table to help with the cost. TB
