Curbside and On-Street Charging

One of the advantages of electric vehicles is the ability to refuel (charge) them where you live overnight. Pull into the garage, plug in, and wake up the next morning with a full battery. But an estimated 40 million US households live in urban locations without a garage or driveway, according to charging startup itselectric.

At least four types of solutions are emerging:

• Utility pole/Street light chargers: Chargers attached to utility pole or street lights where they also tap into the power source of the pole or light. EV chargers integrated with parking meters are another potential future approach.
• Portable chargers: Companies like UK startup ZipCharge with their Go solution, a portable battery you charge in your house, apartment, or condo and then wheel to the street and charger your EV.
• Mobile charging-as-a-service: Several startups globally are pursuing this model, with SparkCharge in the US and its Currently mobile charging subscription service being most well known. With this approach a van, car, or vehicle with a trailer comes to wherever your EV is parked and charges it.
• Curbside chargers: Chargers deployed on sidewalks using either utility or adjacent homeowner/building power sources.

Following are some of the companies with solutions for curbside and on-street charging: