UK Mandates All Future Home EV Charge Points to be Smart

Starting from July 1, 2019, all electric vehicle charge points at homes will be smart chargers, UK Roads minister Micheal Ellis has announced.

“From 1 July 2019, all charge points backed by the government Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme must have the ability to be remotely accessed and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal,” the Ministry of Transport issued in a statement.

The idea behind the policy change in the scheme is that smart charging can reduce high peaks of electricity demands, minimising the impact of electric vehicles on the electricity system – and crucially, keeping costs down for consumers by encouraging off-peak charging.

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Ellis, said, “The government wants the UK to be the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle, with leadership and innovation helping us pave the way to a zero emission future.”

Approximately 200 charge point models, from 25 charge point manufacturers, have been confirmed as eligible after 1 July 2019, and have been marked accordingly on the government’s online charge point model approval list.

Last summer the government published the Road to Zero strategy, built around a core mission for all new cars and vans to be effectively zero emission by 2040, and outlined the ambition for all future transport to be cheaper, safer and more accessible in the Future of mobility: urban strategy. Since then, the UK has seen record levels of ultra-low emission vehicles registered.

“We’re in the driving seat of the zero emission revolution. Our new requirements for charge points could help keep costs down, ensuring the benefits of green transport are felt by everyone,” Ellis added.

The measures outlined in the Road to Zero strategy amount to nearly £1.5 billion of investment and represent one of the world’s most comprehensive packages of support for zero-emission vehicles.