It’s been released that the UK Government has recently (11th July) published a new set of regulations for public charge points that it laid before the House of Commons and the House of Lords: The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023.
From reviewing the draft legislation, the news seems to be positive for the nation’s electric future, but let’s explore in more detail.
The aims
Overall, the aim that is set out is to improve the charging experience for electric vehicle (EV) drivers, that incorporates and prioritises better reliability, clearer pricing, easier payments and open data, which could transform the mapping and ease of planning journeys.
The new Public Charge Point Regulations seek to address existing challenges with the chargepoint infrastructure, by mandating certain consistent standards that must be applied by all operators. The hope is the changes will mean drivers can use public charge points with greater confidence - and ultimately further encourage the transition to EVs.
The highlights
All chargers over 8kW (not slow chargers/lamppost chargers) will have to have contactless payments within the next year.
All public chargers will have to provide real-time information on their status for free, which will benefit mapping tools.
Charge point operators (CPOs) will also be required to be transparent about their pricing, have roaming deals with third parties within two years and ensure that all chargers have 24/7 helplines, to assist drivers having problems using any public charge point.
Reliability - the new rules mandate a 99% reliability rate over a CPO’s network. This is to ensure that charge points are maintained in a fully-operational condition.
When will the changes take place?
The simple answer is not immediately. Chargepoint operators have a year to make the changes to their networks after the draft regulations are expected to come into force and reporting on performance will be a further year away.
Speaking on the new guidelines this week, Tom Rowlands FLEETCOR’s MD, Global EV Solutions, including UK brand, Allstar, said: “As an industry, we’ve made great strides in dispelling myths around EVs that includes price, reducing range anxiety and public charging anxiety. I believe this has the potential to propel the transition to EVs for many businesses, as it improves interoperability and networks opening up, as well as much of the general public, especially as we move ever closer to the 2030 deadline of when sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles will end.”
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