Electrocution Risk From On-Street EV Charging ⚡️🚘

- Coming up on this week's news, as the government announces subsidies for on-street EV charging, experts reveal to us their grave concerns about the risk to pedestrians of electrocution. A man has been arrested following the death of electrician and TV star George Gilbey on a site in Essex and the van mods that could see your insurance bill sore. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Whether you're listening in the van, onsite or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. Last month, the government unveiled a 350 pound incentive for electricians to instal EV chargers, which crossed the pavement. The plan is designed to dramatically drive up the number of electric vehicles that are charged on our streets. But this week, leading electrical experts and local authorities have revealed to us their fears about the increased risk of electrocution for pedestrians. The alarm stems from the risk of simultaneous contact between the body of electric vehicles and another vehicle or a piece of street furniture, such as a metal lamppost or telecoms cabinet. Unless the two items are connected to the same distribution systems, there is a risk in a fault of a high potential difference between them. Consultant engineer and chairman of the IET Wiring Regulations Policy Committee, Graham Kenyon, points out that under the IET's Code of Practise for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation, electricians should carry out a simultaneous contact assessment before starting an instal. Guidance on EV charging from the Electrical Contracts Association also emphasises the need for such an appraisal. If you can touch any other electrical equipment at the same time as the electric vehicle, you need to ensure that it is connected to the same earthing system. But the problem is it's often impossible to tell. Additionally, with on-street parking, it's difficult to guarantee that another vehicle connected to a different electrical system won't be parked next to the first one and under the guidance, if you don't know, in theory, you can't proceed with the installation. That's the reason that many local authorities are saying no to cross pavement charging systems. The apparent contradiction between the IET guidance and the government's cash incentive for on-street charging has yet to be resolved. We will, of course, keep you posted about any developments in this issue. In other news, an investigation has been launched into the death of the electrician and TV star George Gilbey, 40-year-old Gilbey plunged from scaffolding while working on a project in Essex. Police confirmed that the television personality fell from a height while on site at the EGL Homecare warehouse in Shoebury. Gilbey was best known for starring on Channel 4's "Gogglebox" with his mom Linda, and stepdad Pete. He followed that with an appearance on "Celebrity Big Brother," before returning to work as a self-employed electrician. A man arrested on suspicion of gross negligence, manslaughter has been released under investigation. The joint police and Health and Safety Executive probe into the incident continues. We at eFIXX would just like to send our very deepest condolences to anyone who's been affected by the sad death of Mr. Gilbey. Now, have you made any modifications to your van lately? That's the question motor insurers are asking of the trade this week. The reason? Certain additions will see your premiums rise substantially. Souped up engines, alloy wheels, and tinted windows will all attract the attention of insurance companies. But it's not just the boy racer stuff like my Marvin the Martian window sticker that'll get you in the bad books. Adding racking and other specialist electrical equipment could also push up your bills. While roof racks may be useful for transporting ladders, trunking, and conduit, you'll also need to let insurers know about them too. I've popped the link for more details in the show notes. One electrician who probably will be making an insurance claim is Max Woodward of WM Electric in Cheshire. The contractor was lucky to walk away unscathed after his van flipped on a narrow road. Woodward managed to avoid any serious injuries despite the Ford Transit being written off as it ended up on its roof. He turned a blind corner to be faced with a queue of stationary traffic stuck behind the roadwork sign. No doubt everything went into slow motion while operatic music played in the background. Happily, Woodward owns a spare camper van, and so he's been able to continue his wiring work uninterrupted. In product news this week, CK Tools has unveiled a new version of its cable stripper workhorse, the ArmourSlice. The company says the new ArmourSlice EVO is designed to strip SWA cables faster, easier, and safer than conventional stripping methods. The latest generation version features a quick clamp design allowing for fast fitting and removal of the different tools. There's also a new finger grip handle for greater rotational force and faster cutting. The stripper scores armour strands to a uniform depth for a clean break off, making it easier to connect the gland. The cable clamp applies constant pressure throughout the cut, and the company says that no re-tightening is necessary. The stripper can accommodate cables from 12 millimetres to 36 millimetres in diameter. And speaking of cables, it's time for the answer to last week's question of the week. It was taken from our free training package on underfloor wiring systems made with the kind support of Marshall-Tufflex. The question was what is the cable factor for 2.5 mill stranded according to the onsite guide? And after the quite frankly dismal performance of the previous week, we're back on top now with 72% of people getting it right on YouTube with the correct answer of 12.6 and still beating LinkedIn followers to the punch where a very respectable 64% of people got it right. I do wonder if our LinkedIn community will ever come out on top in this particular battle. We'll see. The next question is up, so let's see how we all do on this one. Back to products now and a great backstory. A few years ago, electrician Duncan Thomson got fed up with his socket testers being cracked and damaged while loose in his tool bag. After years of frustration and replacements, Thomson decided to come up with a solution. So using standard components sourced from his local wholesaler, he put together a protective housing for his socket tester. The JAKODA Socket Tester Holder was born. It doesn't just protect your kit, it also provides a time-saving nulling feature for the multifunction device. The JAKODA is available at all 400 branches of CEF at a retail cost of 22 pounds and 74 pence. In promo news, Fluke is offering a rare buy one get one free offer on its range of test and measurement tools until the 31st of August. Under the promotion, the more you spend with an authorised Fluke distributor, the more expensive an option that you can choose for free. Kit up for grabs include digital multimeters, voltage detectors, infrared thermometers, and thermal cameras. Terms and conditions apply. The link, as always, is in the show notes.(Joe speaking in Italian) Or in English, how would you like to go to Italy? Who wouldn't? The good news is that Lewden Palazzoli is offering a three-day trip to its home patch in Brescia. You'll see the cutting-edge Palazzoli manufacturing and testing facilities, obviously. You'll also be able to savour the flavours of the region's acclaimed wines at a local winery in Franciacorta. To top it off, there are tours of the Ferrari and Ducati factories in Bologna. The all-expenses-paid visit takes place on the 9th, 10th, and 11th of September. To enter, you simply scan the QR code when you buy your next Lewden product and upload your invoice or delivery note. An alternative way of entering is to post a picture of your Lewden installations on social media using the hashtag #LoveLewden. Every post is a separate entry, so it pays to share as much as you can. The closing date is the end of June, and the three lucky winners will be announced in July. As it happens, my eFIXX colleague Gordon has just been to Italy to check out the second fix on a project we looked at a year ago. So if you want an enlightening journey through a build in Apulia investigating how Italians instal and protect their electrical systems, check out his latest video fresh from the pizza oven. I've put the link to that in the show notes. And as a bonus, you can also check out his cool new Buddy Holly specs. And our usual reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your project, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. In April, we're focusing on cables in containment and industrial circuit protection. So send us pictures of your instals or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier. And just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who created the Swiss Army Knife of solar inverters, along with all-weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. Now, if you want to get smart, but don't know where to start, relax. Whether you need whole home entertainment, commercial grade infrastructure, or anything in between, Snap One offers countless solutions for connected homes and businesses. With their high-quality and reliable EV charging equipment and industry-leading customer care, you could say they're leading the EVultion, it's Hydra EVC. And with over 35 years of manufacturing and supplying components to the electrical industry, from connectors to terminal blocks through glands and enclosures, you could say they're making all the right connections. It's Hylec APL. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. And if you want a lesson on how to reinvent a commodity product into a stylish but discreet feature, then look no further than D-Line trunking. If you want to get your cables organised and tidied away in any situation, they've got a solution. With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas, plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's SCAME. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words that I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Now, let's reveal the winners of last week's challenge word competition. Last week's words were excavate and mutation and only two people got it right across all our platforms. Hopefully I've made them a little bit more obvious this week. Anyway, maybe it's the sunshine or the longer days, or maybe I'm just all too aware of the fleeting nature of life and joy but whatever it is, I didn't want to have to choose between just two people this week. So I've decided you both won. Well done to COD_Dory and davidpike1967. Make sure you click the Get Involved link in the show notes to claim your prizes. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening, and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.