Flatfish: The thinnest, flattest extension for charging your EV at home

Today there are an estimated 477,000 electric cars (EVs) on the road in the UK, with new registrations increasing 14.6% year-on-year this June, according to Heycar.

While this is clearly a step in the right direction, those of you who live in urban areas have probably now experienced a new obstacle - the charging cable dangling out a window snaking across the pavement towards the car.

In the design team we know from personal experience these dubious cable runs can represent a significant hazard for pavement users - running the tippy pram gauntlet in our case- blame the tiny front wheels.

Different councils have different rules - above are recommendations from Hampshire County Council. Images © Hampshire County Council, 2022.

But how big is this problem really?

Currently, 80% of EV users charge their vehicles at home overnight, while 34% of households do not have off-street parking and need to charge on-street or elsewhere. The number of EVs will need to grow to 23.2 million by 2032 to align with net-zero targets (Climate Change Committee, 2020). Assuming EV ownership and home charging trends continue, by 2032 there will be ~6 million EV owners charging at home overnight without access to off-street parking.

Existing solutions are heavy, expensive, low-featured, unattractive and not fit for purpose, or require planning permission. Yet some UK councils are now recommending this solution to residents, helping to meet regional air quality targets without needing to install on-street charge points.

How can we make charging quicker & easier for EV owners? How can we ensure pavements don’t become a hurdle course? What if you could charge responsibly over the pavement from your house? 

We think there’s a better way.

More convenient for EV owners. Safer for pavement users.

So how does it all work?

Electric Vehicles plug in to the Flatfish charging extension with the standard 3-pin home charging cable that comes with the car.

The new configuration allows the cable to be as thin as possible, reducing trip hazards for pavement users without digging a trench in the pavement.

The ultimate test of thin, flat charging cable - 52mm skateboard wheels!

The thin cable also makes it lightweight. Some cable covers can be up to 8kg per metre, making them unsuitable for users with limited mobility and strength.

The cylinder allows the cable to be rolled up for storage, taking up around 80% less space than a typical cable cover.

Flatfish is a concept for now - we’d love to talk about collaborations and opportunities to take it forward for the benefit for EV owners and pavement users.