Executive Summary Context 1. The time of day at which Electric Vehicle (EV) charging occurs could have significant implications for the electricity system. We expect that many consumers will charge their EVs at home in the future. Without smart charging, EV charging is likely to happen during existing electricity system peak times (such as between 5pm and 7pm) when many people arrive home from work. This would require significant levels of additional investment both in the networks that transport the electricity, with the costs borne ultimately by consumers, and in electricity generation capacity to meet increased demand. 2.
EV smart charging involves shifting charging to a different time of day, such as overnight when there is lower demand on the electricity system, or to times of high renewable energy generation. This can help reduce the need for costly electricity network reinforcement to meet increased demand from EVs, and offers benefits to consumers too, including savings on their energy bills. 3. The Automated and Electric Vehicles (AEV) Act 2018 gives Government powers through secondary legislation to mandate that all EV chargepoints sold and installed in the UK have smart functionality and meet minimum device-level requirements.
Government consulted businesses and individuals on implementing smart charging requirements. The ‘Electric vehicle smart charging consultation’ opened on 15 July 2019 and closed on 7 October 2019. 4. In May 2020 Government published a summary of responses to the consultation, which restated the Government’s overall aim to maximise the use of smart charging and mandate that all new private chargepoints must be smart. This publication contains Government’s policy response to all chapters of the 2019 consultation. Overview of Government Response Chapter 1 5.
In the consultation, Government stated that its overarching aim was to maximise the use of smart charging technologies, and it proposed four objectives to underpin smart charging policy: consumer uptake, innovation, grid protection and consumer protection. We stated that the proposed aims and objectives for smart charging are unlikely to be met without regulatory intervention and outlined a phased approach to legislation. 6. Government will be continuing with this phased approach. In the first phase, we will mandate that new private chargepoints must be smart, and that smart chargepoints must meet device-level requirements.
Building on feedback received during and following the consultation, this first phase of legislation will contain some changes to the approach outlined in the consultation. Since 4