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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

The neighbour and the EV charger

241 replies

Alittlebit9 · 16/03/2025 21:33

DH has an electric car, and had a charger installed at home on Friday. It cost him £1200.

Today, neighbour (who we are fairly friendly with, in a neighbourly way) has messaged me to ask if we would mind if they used it from time to time. I think she’s being a CF and this will be a slippery slope. Plus it’s on our driveway so we would have to move our cars. Also, I know it isn’t expensive but it’s going onto our bill.

YABU - let them use the charger
YANBU - they need to get their own

OP posts:
TouchOfSilverShampoo · 17/03/2025 05:45

Sorry I voted wrong. YnotBAU

ProfessionalPirate · 17/03/2025 05:38

EconomyClassRockstar · 16/03/2025 23:05

God, no! We have 2 double speed Tesla chargers because DH has a Tesla and I have a plug in hybrid and absolutely no to any of my neighbors thinking it's a free for all charge station. Friends/family/guests? They're all theirs.

Just curious - what’s a Tesla double speed? Is it just the same as a type 2 or faster? Can you charge any car with it and not just Teslas?

Overthebow · 17/03/2025 05:36

Say no, very cheeky.

Wilfrida1 · 17/03/2025 05:34

You said she asked in a breezy way. It wasn't like when you are washing your car and someone ALWAYS says 'Do mine next would you?!' was it?

ProfessionalPirate · 17/03/2025 05:28

Didimum · 16/03/2025 22:01

That’s strange. We drive ours a great deal and hasn’t increased ours at all.

This is impossible. Even charged overnight on economy 7, say 7p per kWh, it would cost about £6 for a full charge on our EV. In reality it could be significantly more as it takes more than 7hrs to fully charge on a level 2 charger.

Obviously your definition of driving a ‘great deal’ might be different to mine but if your electricity bills really haven’t increased at all there must be something else going on.

LameBorzoi · 17/03/2025 04:45

If it was a neighbour who I was on good terms with and I knew that wouldn't be cheeky about it, yes; but it sounds as if this is definitely not the case!

SatsumaDog · 17/03/2025 04:39

No, that’s ridiculous!

FuzzyGreenAlien · 17/03/2025 03:30

Sign up to co-charger. They book it through the app, pay an admin fee to the service and you get the cost of electricity covered.

femfemlicious · 17/03/2025 03:29

I would say, if there is a way that she can use it without parking in front of your house, I would let her use it once in a while. She would pay fir her usage. Nothing wrong with helping someone as long as it doesn't inconvenience you.

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 17/03/2025 03:22

It is expensive (unless you’re using solar panels for it in which case time of day matters).

ChellyT · 17/03/2025 03:19

Muchtoomuchtodo · 16/03/2025 21:35

Absolutely not. Give her details of how you got yours installed and let them sort themselves out.

I like this!

LemonMyrtle · 17/03/2025 03:15

I wonder if you can lock it or turn it off so the neighbours can’t sneak a charge when you are not at home. I can’t even believe they would ask! Nope is what I would have said right away. Even if they offered to pay, what happens if their battery somehow gets damaged from a charge (say they use charge incorrectly or there is a surge). Then it’s a huge mess that can drag on for a long time.

MrsAvocet · 17/03/2025 02:46

If they have bought an EV without arranging a reliable form of charging you can bet your bottom dollar that it won't be "once in a while" that they want to use your charger! I bet they'll soon get fed up of the expense of public chargers or the inconvenience of using a 3 pin plug and will be round at yours regularly. Set your boundaries now!
It might not cost a huge amount to charge but milk and bread doesn't cost a lot either and you wouldn't expect to be able to walk into your neighbours' kitchen and help yourself to a loaf or a pint of milk every few days because you couldn't be bothered going to the shops would you?
One charge doesn't cost you much but it will mount up when they do it regularly, besides which a large part of the reason why you pay for your own charger is for the convenience of being able to charge at home whenever you want or need to. You don't want to come home with 10% battery left and discover someone else sat on your drive charging.
We have friends who are self sufficient in electricity and on days when it's particularly windy or sunny they generate more electricity than they can use, so it costs them nothing to charge their car. On such days sometimes they ring us and ask if we want to go round for a coffee and charge our EV whilst we're there. We also charged there when they were the only people for miles who had electricity for a couple of days after the last bad storms. But we wait to be asked! Even though it's "free" electricity, it's still their electricity, their charger and their home and nobody has the right to help themselves.

RawBloomers · 17/03/2025 02:32

If you want to make some money, you could tell her you’re happy to let her for £20, providing you aren’t using it. Presumably it will be more convenient for them than using one of the commercial ones so there’s an upside for both of you.

But I’d probably just respond “😂LOL”

321user123 · 17/03/2025 01:49

Hell no. They can use a granny charger (3-pin plug) like the rest of us peasants do.

this will evolve into a mess otherwise!

2021x · 17/03/2025 01:48

Hmmmmm.... I mean I guess she can ask.

To get in the right frame of mind, would you like them using any stored diesel in your garage for free every night.

(If you can't say no straight away, I get it, its neighbours), Send a holding text saying you hadn't thought about it but if it is something she wants to do you would have to work out the logistics due to its location and how much you would charge them to use and the cost of installation pump.

Then a couple of days later you can say that you talked about it with DP, and it decided it would be too difficult to manage and you would have to charge her at least (more than the local charging point) to use. However they are convienent recommend some installers.

Oh and get a camera over it to film for CF behaviour

NotOnThe · 17/03/2025 01:47

Gosh don't even look at charging. Nope nada nothing. Will just annoy you every time.

NotOnThe · 17/03/2025 01:46

Definitely not. Omg some people 🫣

CatsWhiskerz · 17/03/2025 01:13

Alittlebit9 · 16/03/2025 21:39

@intrepidgiraffe no, knowing her I know she meant for free 😂 she is ballsy.

I will just send across the details of the person that did ours. I will also be watching the ring doorbell to check they aren’t doing it when we aren’t here 😂

Is there no way to 'lock' it?

NewBeginnings77 · 17/03/2025 01:13

Lol. Yes of course! We are getting a hot tub, it's only a mains plug. We can swap 😁

knitnerd90 · 17/03/2025 01:08

"No." is a complete sentence.

Tbrh · 17/03/2025 00:42

Can you figure out what the cost would be? I'd say sure it will cost x

savethatkitty · 17/03/2025 00:40

Dear Neighbour.

Let's discuss the fees/tariff I will charge you for the privilege.

Toots,

Neighbour X

Watch her scurry away like the CF she is

Mrsbloggz · 16/03/2025 23:59

Petitchat · 16/03/2025 23:38

This but without the sorry

Agree, best not use the word 'sorry' if you can help it OP, it would be like opening the door a crack and she'll have her foot in it very quickly.

I see her tactics as a form of gaslighting, she speaks as if it's perfectly reasonable to make this request and that makes you feel as if she could be right. The phrase 'time to time' would piss me off, as if she can just use your stuff randomly as & when she fancies!!
I think I would say 'That won't be possible. If you have need of a charger I can recomend this company'.

3peassuit · 16/03/2025 23:49

Absolutely not. The utter nerve of the woman.

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