Public Charge Point Regulations set out future of EV charging

Today (11th July 2023), the Government has laid out the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 in Parliament – setting out the future of public electric vehicle (EV) charging in the UK.

Key regulations outlined include:

• There must be better reliability, clearer pricing, easier payments and open data which could transform the mapping and ease of planning journeys.
• Contactless payments. All chargers over 8kW (i.e., not slow chargers/lamppost chargers) will have to have contactless payments within a year.
• Reliability. All charge point operators (CPOs) will have to achieve 99% reliability over their whole network. This will be crucial in building public confidence, as well as getting rid of perennially bad chargers.
• Open Data. All chargers will have to provide real time info (30 second updates) on their status (i.e. are they working/charging/reserved). This will be free and open and will ensure a vast improvement to mapping tools, as well as countless innovations.
• Clearer pricing transparency (p/kWh). CPOs will have to have roaming deals with third parties within 2 years. All chargers will have to have 24/7 helplines.

James Court, CEO of EVA England – the trade association for electric vehicle drivers, told Transport + Energy: ”I am delighted to see these regulations passed. If we want more people driving EVs then charging needs to get better. Of course we will need more chargers, but this will go a long way to improving the experience of charging. It also shows the benefit of groups like the EVA, having drivers voices heard in government has been crucial to this and means it’s not just vested interests steering policy.”

Commenting on the news, Gill Nowell, Head of EV Communications for ElectriX – part of LV= General Insurance, added: “Whilst great progress continues to be made by charge point operators, with chargers being rolled out at speed, it is essential for consumer confidence in electric cars that the public charging network is reliable and that chargers are easy to use, with contactless payment and operational data and pricing visibility. Rapid chargers have increased in number by 42% year on year but with a target of 300-700,000 public chargers by 2030, we need to maintain pace of roll out to stay on track for the UK’s electric revolution.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder & COO at Zapmap, said: “I’m very pleased that the 2023 Public Charge Point Regulations are now up for debate in Parliament – and many electric car drivers will be too.

“From easy payment through to chargers you know will work when you get to them, these are issues which have been highlighted for many years. Whether it’s showing the live status of charge points, if they are in use, in service or otherwise, or whether it’s our cross-network payment solution Zap-Pay, Zapmap has led the way in identifying and addressing the needs of EV drivers. 

“It’s great to see these concerns now being addressed by Parliament, which will lead to more collaboration across the industry. Stepping back, the shift to electric vehicles is crucial if we are to meet our net zero targets. And these regulations will support this transition by boosting confidence in the public charging network.”

Image courtesy of Shutterstock.