I have to charge my £50k BMW EV through my first floor window after being forced to REMOVE my outdoor socket
A DISGRUNTLED driver has been left with no option but to charge his £50,000 electric BMW from a power point on the first floor of his home - after his property agent asked him to remove an outdoor socket.
Joe Keating from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, has to drag a long yellow cable through the window of his first-floor apartment just to be able to top-up the battery of his luxury EV.
The eco-conscious motorist has had to put up up with the extra chore since the managing agent of his rented home demanded he remove his car's power point.
Joe had sorted an exterior plug socket for his flashy BMW next to his parking space.
It made it much easier to charge his car, and helped save on rising fuel costs and tackle the growing climate crisis.
Yet a letter from the agents Stevenson Whyte asked him to remove the power socket because Joe hadn't asked permission to install it.
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The EV-driver thought their response was "a bit heavy handed" and should have shown more effort to support his environmentally-friendly change.
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The company said residents could not just start developments and installations of their own accord as it could lead to "significant issues with long term management, aesthetics and safety".
Yet Joe has "welcomed" an open conversation with Stevenson Whyte who denied him an opportunity to appeal.
He told : “I can’t be the only person that lives in that type of accommodation and will be now starting to think about trying to move towards a low carbon economy, and we’re all going to have to have these kinds of vehicles eventually.
“There’s no immediate plans from the developing agent to put any charge points in, so what am I supposed to do?”
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The Rochdale resident is frustrated by this barrier to driving his electric car - especially as global warming contributed to the UK's record temperatures this summer.
He added: “It just feels a bit heavy handed in the backdrop of the highest temperatures the UK has ever had.
"We’ve got impending charges around Greater Manchester with all the Clean Air Zone plans. As a society, we need to change these barriers that are in the way needlessly.”
Currently, drivers can apply for a 75 per cent contribution toward the cost and installation of charge points after the government pledged to support the roll-out of electric vehicles with £620million of funding.
But motorists living in rented or communal buildings still need to go through their landlords first.
In November, the Government announced a new law to install thousands of charging points for electric vehicles across the UK.
The new plans aims for up to 145,000 new charge points across England each year, including installations in new-build homes, making it easier for drivers to charge their cars.
Building regulations will require developers to install electric charging points on new properties.
The regulation announcement came as the government announced plans to stop the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
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A spokesperson for Stevenson Whyte, which manages the building, said: "We have a duty of care to ensure the safety of all individuals at the development and a responsibility to ensure the lease terms are complied with. If all lease holders were to install their own equipment on the development without permission or control there would be significant issues with long term management, aesthetics and safety.
“The installation of electrical charging points in apartment blocks is an issue that all Leaseholders/Freeholders across the country will continue to face in the coming years and hopefully with time, more safe and compliant methods will be achievable for all leaseholders.”
