Smart by law

There has been a lot of talk about whether there’s going to be enough power to charge millions of EVS and how the government will recoup money from lost fossil fuel taxes.

On 30 June, the Electric Vehicle (Smart Charging Points) Regulations 2021 will become UK law, and all domestic chargers installed after this date will have to comply.

It states that a charger must have “smart capabilities”, meaning “it is able to send and receive information via a communication network”

(ie your energy provider) and “is able to respond to signals or other information received by increasing

or decreasing the rate of electricity flowing through the charge point or changing the time at which electricity flows through [it]”.

As this will be on a separate electrical circuit, it can be charged at a different rate (including a different VAT rate to your domestic supply).

So don’t think that you will be charging your EV at a cheap rate or have any say on when it will be charged. In fact, the grid could even use its battery as energy storage. Terry Hudson

Swalecliffe, Kent