As more drivers and businesses adopt the use of electric vehicles (EVs), a big part of that transition to electric will be installing home chargers at homes with off-street parking, and with new chargers comes new smart charging technology.
This is built to benefit drivers as it can help them reduce charging costs, carbon emissions and maintain battery health through a productive and easy-to-use process. This feature will help you understand more about EV smart charging, the UK regulations around home chargers and more.
What is EV smart charging and what are the benefits?
EV smart charging (or intelligent charging) is a way for drivers to manage how their vehicle recharges and interacts with the grid.
The benefit of choosing to smart charge an EV is that it lowers the chances of using the grid during peak hours, so you’re unlikely to use more expensive energy rates. You can combine smart charging with an EV-specific energy tariff*, where your electricity supplier gives you much cheaper rates during an off-peak period.
Smart charging lets you charge your EV at a time that’s convenient for you - generally overnight - so you’re not worrying about having to charge just before you leave your home. You can get home, plug in and set the time you need your car to be charged by, safe in the knowledge that you could wake up with a fully-charged battery.
It allows drivers to choose to charge their EV at the most cost-efficient time because of the lower demand for electricity. The UK government’s Electric Vehicle Smart Charging Action Plan predicts that smart charging could save drivers an average of £200 per year, while high mileage drivers could be saving over £1000.
Also, this way of charging can be used when there’s more renewable energy available to use, reducing carbon emissions and any environmental impact that goes with that. Future predictions say that smart chargers will soon be able to recharge your EV just after especially windy or sunny periods to further offset any emissions.
Smart charging doesn’t just benefit EV drivers, it also helps stabilise the prices for energy across the country. Because your charger generally uses electricity during off-peak hours, it reduces the demand across the grid and makes it more efficient.
In the long run, smart charging can also benefit your EV by extending its battery life and range by keeping it at optimal and consistent levels.
Choosing an EV smart charger for your home
Most new home chargers are ‘smart’, but even if you have a more ‘basic’ Level 1 smart charger you’ll still be able to manually plug in and charge your EV at times that use less electricity. Some EVs also have built-in features to schedule charging during off-peak grid hours.
Newer Level 2 chargers, are faster and more powerful than their Type 1 equivalent and are ideal for home use at a 7kW current. If you want to take advantage of their smart charging capabilities it’s worth noting that not all chargers work with all EVs, so make sure your vehicle is compatible before installing your home charger.
Once you’ve installed your charger, you’ll also need to make sure that it’s synced to Wi-Fi or a 3G/4G/5G network so it can connect to a smart charging app.
Costs of smart charging
If you’re looking to install a smart charger at home, people own flats or renting households with off-street parking can apply for the UK government’s EV charge point grant provided you meet the eligibility criteria. This can offset the cost of installing a home charger by £350 or 75%, whichever amount is lower.
For businesses or business EV drivers, we’ve partnered with Plug Me In to help simplify the complex process of choosing and installing electric vehicle charge points for your fleet. They help simplify the process from installation and managing chargers at your drivers’ home.
How does EV smart charging work?
Drivers control how their smart charger interacts with their EV. Your charger syncs with your energy supplier’s smart meter, the electric grid, and the vehicle to make sure that the specific goals you set are met during the charging process. These are:
Charge level - This is when you want to charge your EV’s battery to a specific level, and is ideal for when you know you have a longer distance to travel the next day.
A specific time - For when you want to take advantage of cheaper overnight charging rates, you can set your EV to be charged by 4:30 am, for example.
UK smart charging regulations
The UK government was the world’s first to implementsmart charging regulations, these came into force in June 2022 and applied to any smart charger sold in England, Scotland and Wales from that date.
The regulations have been put in place to support drivers on a number of minimum standards, including the charger’s ability to retain its smart functions if a driver switches energy supplier.
Other minimum requirements include:
Connectivity in the hardware and software - All smart chargers in the UK must make it easy for drivers to check their electricity usage through their app. This also allows them to manage their charge sessions remotely, and the charge point operators to troubleshoot any potential software issues.
Default off-peak charging - To help stabilise the electric grid and help drivers reduce energy costs, all smart chargers must be set to charge an EV during off-peak hours as a default setting. They specifically try to avoid charging between 8 am and 11 am, and 4 pm to 10 pm.
Phased charging - To avoid a huge demand on the electric grid post peak hours when lots of EVs will begin to charge at the same time, chargers must also be fitted with the ability to delay by 30 minutes. This avoids putting pressure on the energy supply and again avoids potential high costs for drivers.
In the case of phased charging and default off-peak charging, drivers will have the ability to override these features if they need to.
The future of smart charging
The world of EVs moves fast, and charger manufacturers are always looking for new ways to support drivers and energy networks with big ideas. One of those big ideas is bidirectional charging, where an EV can also send electricity back to power a home (V2H charging), or directly back onto the grid (V2G charging).
Although bidirectional chargers are still being tested with pilot groups of drivers, their manufacturers believe that there are a number of sustainable and cost-saving benefits for households with these chargers installed.
These benefits include being able to create a self-sufficient household that uses solar and EV energy to power a home. Bidirectional charging could also give drivers the possibility of earning money from energy grids by selling their electricity back to them.
With the pace of EVs and charging changing rapidly, stay up to date on changes within the sector via our EV Insights section of the website. Read more about our installation partnership with Plug Me In here. They can liaise directly with your drivers when providing them with home chargers, so any additional admin on your part is reduced, saving your business both time and money.
*Remember that these cheaper overnight rates are generally offset by more expensive standing charges during the day, so always check with your supplier whether this is the right option for you.
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