[bolt in blue]

We recently added a Chevy Volt to the house and are investigating the best way to charge it. Unfortunately most of our parking is on the street and the Volt gets a street spot (it belongs to a tenant and I get the carport). The Volt's owner would like to put in some kind of in ground box between the sidewalk and the curb with an outlet for charging. I can't find any outdoor electrical boxes that are underground. Does such a thing exist? Ideally we'd install a large enough circuit to accommodate future vehicles that can charge at a faster rate, but I'd be satisfied with a 240 volt 20 amp circuit since that will charge a Volt at its max rate.

Our current charging arrangement involves either a 12 gauge cord taped across the sidewalk or parking in the driveway and blocking in the car in the carport - neither is a good long term solution! I do also have a utility pole at the edge of my property (above ground electric, phone, and cable TV wires), so I could probably get away with mounting an outlet box on the pole if I can't go in ground, but the location isn't as ideal. Regardless of location, my intention is to run the line to the box underground. We have shallow yards and my electric panel is on the front corner of the house, so the run would easily be under 50 feet total.

Any thoughts on how to best charge a street parked Volt are much appreciated!

[smoothy]

Utility poles are property of the utility companies.. putting ANYTHING on one will get you in trouble.

You will find the right of way is NOT at the curb but some distance away. Exact amount varies by location. You would not legally be allowed to put one there, trust me on that. Besides there being utility easements there already.

If this is a Condo and even many Town house developments then you have another big no-no. Property in front of your house legally might not exactly be your property (might be considered communal space).

Also consider legal implications not to mention the risk of theft of power by something wired into YOUR house and that open for someone else to plug into at night. (not that big a stretch).

If there is a sidewalk... pretty much nothing you can do... town/city owns the sidewalk. Run a cord over it and someone trips... guess who gets sued. Yep, you do, the property owner.

If you have no sidewalk..Its a single family home you OWN. and the property is not community property (lot of that crap where you find HOA's.) perhaps a box on the outside of the house (weather tight that can be locked). and a long extension cord they can put in their trunk. Might be the best option...but make sure they pay for an electrician YOU select to do it. If they electrocute themselves, or burn the house down with something halfassed, guess who gets screwed, yes, you do.

[bolt in blue]

Single family home. No home owner's association. I'm aware that the land between the street and the sidewalk isn't mine, but I'm less concerned about putting something on it than I am with a cord running over the sidewalk.

[smoothy]

Think the box on outside of house is best bet. How would you intend to get it UNDER the sidewalk anyway? Electrical outlet that near a street also invites inquisitive kids to play and possible injure themselves... (legal liability is a key theme here). Forget any poles YOU didn't install. I honestly don't see a legal SAFE way to do what you want that doesn't cause a problem somehow. Let a zoning guy catch you put it in the town right of way and you can open a REAL can of worms. Example town or utility has to dig something up, don't see it until too late, someone cuts it with a shovel on a rainy day... gets electrocuted... and you have a HUGE can or worms opened up and a lawsuit.

You say DC area... I know the close in counties (most of them anyway) can be really anal retentive about stuff like this (my stomping ground for a lot of years), more so than rural areas. And the city of DC itself turns that into an art form.

Be patient though..others will respond with other ideas, and thoughts.

[ma0641]

They do make charging points for EV's, our town, Woodstock, GA has a couple. However, they are not cheap. If the city or county would allow, I would run an underground cable, under the sidewalk, install an elevated post with weatherproof connection, similar to what you see at campsites for RV's and then put it in a locking box. What guarantees that the parking spot will always be open? What if someone trips over the box? You are now seeing why EV's have their issues too. That said, there are 2 EV's in our neighborhood, a Leaf and a Soul E. However, everyone has a garage.

[talaniman]

Is there a reason the Volt cannot be parked at night behind your car in the driveway? It would seem two people could cooperate to keep from taking the chance of theft or mischief by charging the Volt in the street until a long term solution could be found.

I did find this from Tesla to be insightful.

Seven Ideas for Electric Car Ownership Without Home Charging | PluginCars.com

It would seem what you are doing now is sufficient if not that secure. Whether it's legal or not is up to your town or utility though, as well as permitting a street side charging station be installed.

You should inquire. Get 3 estimates and see if a permanent long term solution is possible, because let's face it, an irate neighbor or inspector, or KID can cost you a lot of money and inconvenience. Until EV's are more widely used and infrastructure is increased greatly.

LOL, back in the day when household acquired multiple drivers, we moved cars around all the time. It may be inconvenient for you, but more secure, no more inconvenient than stringing that cable 50 feet and rolling it up everyday, twice a day. Right?