And if I don’t have a garage, I can’t buy an electric car? Hold my drink. The image is as bizarre as it is funny: a cable strung from the balcony of a fifth-floor apartment recharging a zero-emission vehicle parked on the street. And not just under the balcony: the cable runs across almost the entire façade.
The video, posted on social networks, depicts a street in Lisbon. It isn’t the first time: in recent years we have seen similar photos or videos from the streets of Portugal’s capital. Also from Spain. And it highlights a reality about making electric cars more common: many drivers do not have a garage. But going about it in such a blunt way is illegal.
A DIY fix that isn’t a fix
Posts abound on X, Instagram, or Facebook: a car parked on the street and charging thanks to an extension cord from a window or balcony. “Who said you can’t have an electric car living on the fifth floor without a garage? I think this person may have broken the Guinness record for audacity by throwing the cable onto the street to charge,” comments the author of this particular post. Perhaps it’s true; on Forocoches there was a similar image from a third floor.
Jokes aside, the truth is that owning an electric car requires a garage. And in Spain around 70% of cars “sleep” on the street. In other words, that percentage of drivers does not have parking: their home lacks one. The remedy is to buy or rent a parking space in a garage.
View this post on Instagram
Nolan Kessler
I focus on performance-driven cars, emerging technologies, and the business forces shaping the automotive industry. My work aims to deliver clear, relevant insights without unnecessary noise, with a strong attention to detail and accuracy. I follow the evolution of mobility daily, with a particular interest in what defines the next generation of driving.
