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On-street electric vehicle cable channel (EVCC) trial

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Cambridgeshire County Council will soon start a trial to test electric vehicle cable channels (EVCC). These channels help people who don’t have a driveway to charge their electric vehicle (EV) at home. The cable goes inside a small channel in the pavement, so it is safe and tidy.

Switching from petrol or diesel cars to electric cars helps clean the air and cut carbon emissions. As part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund the Council is also adding more public charging points across Cambridgeshire. But we know some people want to charge at home even if they don’t have a driveway. 

Loose cables across the pavement are not allowed because they can make people trip. Cable covers are also not allowed to be used in Cambridgeshire. That is why we are testing EV cable channels. They let you put the cable inside the pavement, so it is safe. Only people in the trial can use these channels. You will need a licence from the Council to use one.

A cable channel will not be suitable for all homes without driveways. Please carefully read the information below before deciding whether you would like to express your interest to be part of the trial.

EV cable channels

An EV cable channel is a piece of equipment that is fitted into the pavement outside your home. It holds your charging cable safely from your house to your car.

The EV cable channel has a lid that must be lifted to insert the cable and closes flat when the cable is inside. You must remove the cable and close the lid after charging so no one trips.

The channel will allow approved residents without a driveway to charge their EV from home benefiting from the reduced cost of charging using a home energy tariff.

Trial approach

This is a new idea, so we are testing it first. There are many issues and challenges a local highway authority must consider before allowing the use of cross-pavement solutions on the public highway. Central government issued guidance to support local authorities which has been considered in the planning of the trial.

We expect the trial to launch by Spring 2026. The trial will run in two phases. It will depend on demand and if issues arise.

  • Phase 1: 50 EV cable channels.
  • Phase 2: 200 EV cable channels.

Trial places will be allocated equally across all districts, dependent on demand.

We will monitor the outcome of the trial. We will consider:

  • If there is demand for this product and whether residents have a positive experience across the stages of the process.

  • If the cost is affordable for residents, and if this is a financially sustainable process for the Council to run in the long term.
  • If the product causes any highways maintenance or utility issues.
  • If the product causes issues or harm to people using the road and whether any complaints or concerns are raised which cannot be resolved.

If it is decided that the trial is unsuccessful and that existing EV cable channels should be removed, the residents will not be reimbursed for their costs or loss.

Trial participation

An EV cable channel will not be the right solution for everyone, and it will not be suitable for every property.

To decide if this trial is right for you, you must have the following:

Trial requirements:

  • Own or are looking to buy/lease an EV?

  • Own the property or have permission from the property owner to install an EV charger at the property.
  • Not have access to off-road parking.
  • The pavement to be crossed must be public highway and not privately owned. To check, please visit https://maps.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ and select 'adopted roads' from the menu on the left-hand side under the Transport and Street Menu and search by your postcode.

  • Live in a property that sits back from the footway, so the EV charger or the cable does not overhang the footway. If your property bounds the footway with no alcove or recess to house the chargepoint and cable, you will likely not be eligible.

  • Have a professionally installed EV charger that meets minimum safety standards. See government guidance on EV chargepoint and infrastructure specifications and in particular the specifications for households with on-street parking. The applicant must check if planning permission is needed to install the EV charger. Confirmation of planning permission will be needed before an installation date is agreed.

  • Have access to a parking space outside your house on a frequent basis dependent on your charging need. No parking space will be allocated for your use. If you cannot regularly park outside your home, this may not be the right solution for you.
  • Agree to sign a Section 178 licence agreement. This sets out that you will indemnify the Council against any claims relating to your use of the EV cable channel. You must have insurance through your motor and/or home insurance policy that covers all liabilities to ‘third parties’ (other people) in case of an incident caused by you using your home EV charger and charging cable on the highway (minimum £5 million for any one claim).
  • Agree to provide your feedback on your experience of the process to the Council throughout the trial.

For additional information please read the frequently asked questions. If you are unable to find the answer on this webpage, email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Your application will be checked to see if there is any clear reason you will not be allowed an EV cable channel. A detailed survey will take place to ensure your property is a suitable location for an EV chargepoint and EV cable channel. After this detailed assessment, a decision will be made on your application.

If approved, this will be on the condition that you get planning permission for an EV chargepoint, approval of all licences and evidence you have appropriate insurance cover.

Reasons for refusal

There are some site features which will likely mean an application will be refused. These include:

  • Where there is a parking restriction (e.g. double or single yellow lines, bus stops, cycle lane, taxi ranks, zig-zag lines etc.)
  • Where parking would not be safe or compliant with the Highway Code (i.e. opposite or within 15m of a junction unless in a marked parking bay, poor visibility).
  • Where there is any electrical street furniture, or another resident using an EV cable channel, which could be within 2.5m of your charging vehicle. This may mean that neighbouring properties cannot each have an EV cable channel installed.
  • Where there is a highway verge.
  • Where there is any obstruction on the footway where you would like an EV cable channel to be installed. This may include items such as a pedestrian barriers, trees, or cycle parking.
  • Where the surface of the pavement (footway) is less than 70mm higher than the surface of the road (carriageway). This is to ensure that water drains away from the channel.

Costs and funding support

At this stage, no channel suppliers have been approved to be part of the trial.

Once suppliers are approved, this webpage will be updated.

An average cost of an EV cable channel is approximately £1,000. However, there are extra costs involved, please see table below:

Item Cost Paid to
S178 licence agreement £190 Cambridgeshire County Council
S171 licence agreement £196 Cambridgeshire County Council
Supply and installation of EV cable channel approx. £1,000 Approved EV channel supplier
Planning permission for EV chargepoint (if required) £262 Local planning authority
Supply and installation of an EV chargepoint approx. £1,000-£1,500 EV chargepoint supplier
Approximate total cost £2500-£3,000  

To reduce the setup cost of home charging for residents without offroad parking, there are grants available.

You can apply for a central government grant up to £350 towards the cost of the purchase and installation of an EV chargepoint at a residential property until 3 April 2026. Details are available at Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking (GOV.UK).

If we are successful in our electric vehicle pavement channels grant (EVPCG) bid to central government, the County Council will provide a £500 refund per channel installation.

In addition to this, the £196 S171 licence fee will also be covered by the EVPC grant so will be at zero cost to the applicant.  A S171 licence is required to permit the works on the public highway during installation and will be applied for by the approved supplier. More information will be announced should this funding be awarded. 

Register your interest

If you have read the above information and still think your home would be suitable for an EV cable channel, please email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk to express your interest in taking part in the trial. 

Once we have a confirmed launch date, we will notify all those who have registered an interest with further details on how to apply direct via an approved supplier.

Please note, if you have previously registered your interest you do not need to register again.

Frequently asked questions

For additional information please do read our frequently asked questions. If you are unable to find the answer on this webpage, please email electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

A cable trailing across a footway is a trip hazard, especially people who are visually impaired, disabled or with low mobility. If someone tripped and injured themselves, you could be prosecuted and there may be a liability under civil law.

It is important to consider public safety and existing legislation when placing the cable from the power supply in your home to your vehicle. Any legal liability arising from the placement of the cable is your responsibility.

This is one solution being explored to understand if it works for residents and helps people charge their EV from home.

Currently, around 30% of the UK do not have access to off-street parking so charging at home is currently not possible.

We require feedback from participants on their experiences to help us understand the pros and cons of the product. 

This trial is part of a range of EV charging solutions that we are putting in place across Cambridgeshire. It will not be a suitable solution for all EV users or all properties.

The Council is also increasing the number of public chargepoints in the county. If this solution is not suitable to you or your home, you can enquire whether a public on-street chargepoint could be installed close to your property by emailing electricvehicles@cambridgeshire.gov.uk  with your location details. We can assess the location for a possible public charging point to be installed.

Another solution is for households with off-street parking to share their home charger with other users via a community charging service.

More information on alternative solutions can be found on our page, electric vehicle charging points.

The channel is installed into the footway by an approved highways contractor for use by the homeowner who has made the application.

The cable is inserted into the channel when charging is needed and must be removed when charging is complete.

You must report misuse of EV charging to ensure safety to the public. Please report if:

  • A charging cable is being used across a pavement without a cable channel.

  • You find an EV cable channel not being used properly (once the trial starts).

How to report

  1. Go to Highways reporting tool (Report It Cambridgeshire County Council)
  2. Select main case type 'Pavement or kerb issue'
  3. Select sub case type 'Footpath pothole / trip hazard'

For more information on how to use the reporting tool, please visit our highways reporting tool information page.

S178 of the Highways Act 1980 ‘Restriction on placing rails, beams etc. over highways’, states:

No person shall fix or place any overhead beam, rail, pipe, cable, wire or other similar apparatus over, along or across a highway without the consent of the highway authority for the highway, and the highway authority may attach to their consent such reasonable terms and conditions as they think fit.

Therefore, a S178 licence agreement (opens as PDF) must be signed by the applying resident to legally permit a cable to cross the public highway via a cable channel. There are clauses set out in the licence agreement that must be agreed to. This must be read carefully before signing.

The clauses state you are responsible for day-to-day maintenance, and you must indemnify the Council against any claim in respect of injury, damage or loss arising from the use of your charging cable and the cable channel.

You must have relevant public/third party liability insurance cover, through your car insurer, house insurer, or specialist third party insurer to cover cable trip claims.

No, the Council will not supply a wall-mounted charging unit. You are responsible for organising this.

You must have a professionally installed EV charger that has an in-built protective earth neutral (PEN) fault device.

Please note planning permission is likely to be required before a chargepoint can be installed for on-street charging. Find out more in the next section 'Do I need planning permission?'

You must check if planning permission is needed to install your EV chargepoint. It is likely you will need to make a planning application for an EV chargepoint if you do not have off-street parking, as Permitted Development may not apply.

The following links have further information:

Please note, government are currently consulting on changes to permitted development rights for EV chargepoints that may mean that planning permission will not be needed. We will update the website if any changes are made. Until then, you must contact your local planning authority.

You will not require Planning Permission for the EV cable channel. A Section 171 licence is needed to permit the works on public highway to install the channel. This will be applied for by the cable channel supplier.

Vehicles should be parked close to the property. Where a vehicle cannot be parked directly outside the property, the cable should be run along the kerbside. The maximum distance allowed to run a cable from the channel is 10 metres (approximately 2 car lengths).

The cable should never cross the road. Your vehicle should always be parked on the same side of the road as your property. Any vehicle parked on the highway should always follow local parking restrictions and should not obstruct the footway. 

No parking space outside your home will be provided as part of the installation of the cable channel. Parking on the highway cannot be reserved. Any parking restrictions that exist where the channel is installed must be complied with. You must be certain you are able to park outside your home on a regular basis, dependent on your charging needs, before applying for an EV cable channel. If parking in your area is so busy that you cannot park outside your house at least once per week, then a home EV cable channel is probably not the best solution.

Most charging cables are long enough to reach either one space up or one space down from directly outside your house. Residents will need to wait until a space becomes free and then move their car. You have no right to reserve the space outside your home for your EV or demand the space becomes free for your use.  

The Council will not be responsible for any parking issues that limits or prevents the use of the EV cable channel. It does not have any responsibility for resolving any issues that occur. The channel must be used in accordance with the s178 licence agreement at all times. Failure to comply may result in the licence being withdrawn and the use of the channel removed.

You will be responsible for regularly clearing out the channel and removing any leaves or dirt.

You are responsible for ensuring the unit is correctly operated and your cable is correctly inserted.

If the channel becomes damaged or broken it is your responsibility to let us know as soon as possible. Please follow the Report a highways fault prcoess.

Like all electric vehicle chargepoints, there is nothing to stop the cable from being cut, although they would be cutting a mains cable.

We require the the cable to be removed from the channel when not in use for charging.

The channels are designed to sit flush with the pavement surface. This reduces the risk of people tripping or hinder people using wheelchairs, other mobility aids, and prams.

They are also covered with anti-slip material.

The channel is sloped, so rainwater will drain to the road. We wouldn't expect standing water to gather in the channel and freeze.

The channel can remain in place for most works. If this is not possible, it would be removed and then re-instated once the works are completed.

Please note you will not be compensated for any times when you cannot access the charging channel.

We are only looking at on-street parking for this pilot scheme.

Where flats have allocated parking areas away from the public highway, this will not be a suitable solution. In such cases, we recommend residents request their management company makes arrangements for EV chargepoints to be installed.

If the pavement is privately owned you do not need to apply to the Council for an EV cable channel. You will need to contact the landowner and seek permission to install.

You must give the Council a minimum of 4 weeks’ notice that you are moving.

We will write to the new owner of the property who must agree to the S178 licence agreement to be legally allowed to use the EV pavement channel. Failure to do so could result in the channel being removed.

Please note you will not receive a refund if you move house.

The EV cable channel allows the resident to have their own EV chargepoint installed on their property. They would then be responsible for paying the electricity costs to charge their car as part of their usual electricity bill.

The EV cable channel allows for a standard EV charging cable to be used. These are typically armoured.

You may be able to install a charging unit on the wall of your property so long as it doesn't encroach the highway.

In cases where there is no recess or possibility to install away from the footway, the application is likely to be refused. 

We recommended taking advice from a chargepoint company about whether this is feasible.