REA comments on news that home chargers are to be ‘smart’ from July 2019

• Government announces that all government funded home chargepoints for electric vehicles will need to be ‘smart’ from July 2019
• Government’s home charging grant will be maintained at £500
• over 60,000 domestic chargepoints supported by the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme grant to date
• REA comment on smart charging, grant level, and consumer protection

Daniel Brown, Policy Manager at the REA and EV charging lead, commented:

“Smart charging will be critical if we are to create a smarter, more flexible energy system, for accelerating EV uptake, and for opening up new business models and services that can benefit consumers. 

“If rolled out widely, smart charging can work hand-in-hand with greater renewable power deployment. The key now is to come up with a definition for ‘smart charging’, currently being discussed in the EV Energy Taskforce, which maximises competition and innovation.

“Consumer protection will be vital for the charging industry in 2019 and the REA and the Renewable Energy Consumer Code are currently looking at how to ensure quality installations and that the consumer experience of home charging is positive. 

“The home and workplace charging grants are critical pieces of policy support enabling this transition, and we welcome the news that the home charging grant level will be maintained.”

Notes to editors

• ·         The Government’s story (14 December 2018) “Government funded electric car chargepoints to be smart by July 2019” can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-funded-electric-car-chargepoints-to-be-smart-by-july-2019

• ·         The Bloomberg New Energy Finance report ‘Flexibility Solutions for High-Renewable Energy Systems’ (November 2018) finds that:
  • o   A larger fleet of electric vehicles, of which we assume 50% can charge flexibly by 2040, is very helpful for integrating renewable energy generation – by shifting demand to ‘high-renewable’ periods, resulting in lower demand at times of low renewables output.
  • o   The full public report can be read here: https://data.bloomberglp.com/professional/sites/24/2018/11/UK-Flexibility-Solutions-for-High-Renewable-Energy-Systems-2018-BNEF-Eaton-Statkraft.pdf

• ·         The Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) is presently developing consumer guidance for home EV charging and is looking at mechanisms to enforce minimum standards in the sector. https://www.recc.org.uk/