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EV safety

Safety first!

Whatever charging option you provide, make sure it is safe! Our recommendations:

  1. Do not offer EV charging if you don’t have off-street parking. It is not lawful to run a power cable from your home to a vehicle parked on a public street.

  2. If you do have off-street parking, ensure the three pin socket or charger is close to your guests’ parking spot - don’t run the risk of guests or your family tripping over power cables. 

  3. If your parking space is outdoors, only offer use of a normal three pin socket if it is a weatherproof outdoor fitting.

  4. If your Level 2 charger does not come with its own connection cord, bear in mind that a cord provided by a car rental car will generally not be more than five metres long. Different EVs have their connection points at different ends and sides of the vehicle, so in practical terms the car needs to be able to park next to the charger.

  5. If you’re offering a three pin socket, never offer the use of an extension cord unless you know it is rated for “heavy duty”. And do not leave an extension cord coiled up, as it may heat up and could become a fire risk.

Concerned About Fires?

Are EVs a fire risk? There is a lot of hype about this, but the data says otherwise. EVs have sophisticated battery management and cooling systems. Occasionally fires happen, but they are extremely rare, particularly compared with petrol car fires (taking into account the relative number of EVs compared to other vehicle types).

Fires started by rechargeable lithium batteries tend to happen more with eBikes and scooters (and other consumer electronics), which don’t have battery management or cooling systems, and are not well regulated. There are many instances where owners use the wrong type of charger or cables with such devices.

However, EV battery fires, in the very unlikely event they occur, are hot and difficult to extinguish.

Check out EVFireSafe.com for reliable information.

Check With Your Insurer

It is strongly recommended that before offering EV charging, and even if you are just offering off-street or covered parking to your guests who might bring EVs, that you notify your insurer and observe any conditions they might impose. If you’re in an apartment building, check if there are any restrictions applicable to your block.

Be EV Ready!