Regulator to cut costs of electric car stations

Ofgem has proposed that large car charging sites should not have to pay a connection fee as it tries to encourage a switch to electric driving.

The energy regulator said new electricity users should no longer have to pay to reinforce their local network.

If a new site needs so much electricity that more capacity is needed in the local grid, the company which runs the site has to pay for upgrades under the current system. This makes it especially expensive in areas where the grid has low capacity levels, or is already under strain.

“We are proposing to remove connection charges for these network reinforcements, and instead recover these costs through network charges paid by all users of the distribution system,” said Ofgem. “This will make it cheaper to install new electric vehicle charging stations in the locations they are needed.”

New users in an area where there is no grid will still need to pay up front for the system to be extended.

The UK will have to decarbonise most of its transport system to reach its net zero target by 2050.

According to the Climate Change Committee, which advises the UK Government, the number of electric vehicles could rise from 500,000 to 14 million by 2030.