All newly installed home EV charge points that have received government funding must feature ‘smart’ technology from July 2019, it has been announced today (Friday 14th December).
The move is part of the UK Government’s Road to Zero strategy, and will see home units able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting, and reacting to a signal.
Smart charging capabilities have the potential to dramatically reduce the load on the National Grind during peak times, minimising the cost of charging for users, and the price of infrastructure upgrades for network operators.
There are already a number of smart home EV charge points available on the market, so the change in regulations is unlikely to cause much turmoil for customers looking for units from July next year. Some manufacturers may need to start offering smart units though to remain OLEV-approved.
The news is joined by confirmation that the existing Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) grants – which administers charge point funding – will remain at current levels of up to £500 off the cost of a fully-installed unit.
Government figures show that more than 60,000 EVHS grants have been handed out to date, with funding committed until March 2020, or until 30,000 installations in 2019/20 have been supported, whichever is sooner.
