All government-funded home electric vehicles charge points installed from the beginning of next month must be ‘smart’, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.
Roads minister Michael Ellis has announced that from 1 July, all charge points backed by the government’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme must have the ability to be remotely accessed and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal.
The introduction of the new requirement for smart home charge points is in line with a commitment in the DfT’s Road to Zero strategy, which was published last year.
The announcement also coincides with the House of Commons debate on the motion for UK to become the first G7 country to legislate for zero net emissions, which is due to take place later today (24 June).
The Whitehall department has said that approximately 200 charge point models, from 25 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.
Under the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, the government provides households grants to assist with the cost of installing charge points.
Ellis said: “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.”
Responding to the DfT’s announcement, Daniel Brown, policy manager at the Renewable Energy Association said: “As more of our power comes from renewable technologies such aswind and solar, it’s key that we increase the ‘flexibility’ of our energy system. Smart charging will be an important part of this in the future, allowing homes to benefit from new tariffs and from bill-reducing technologies such as rooftop solar and battery storage.
“We welcome this move and hope the government go a step further in the future, by mandating the smartness of all new charge points including those installed in workplaces and in public locations.”