“World’s first” as EV charge points to be built on every new home

Electric vehicle (EV) charge points will be built on every new UK home or office with a car parking space, under new plans unveiled by the government today (July 15).

The UK would be the first government in the world to introduce the legislation, which it says will make charging easier, cheaper and more convenient for drivers.

Currently, the government provides a grant of £500 towards the cost of installing a charge point at home which they claim has seen over 100,000 domestic charge points installed to date.

They also say that to mitigate any negative impact on housing supply due to the cost of creating a new connection to the grid, they are proposing an exemption of £3600 per charging point, which is more than three times the average cost of an electrical capacity connection required for one charge point.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said: ‘With record levels of ultra-low emission vehicles on our roads, it is clear there is an appetite for cleaner, greener transport.

‘Home charging provides the most convenient and low-cost option for consumers – you can simply plug your car in to charge overnight as you would a mobile phone.’

Although sales of EVs has grown by 60% this year, consumer confidence in the UK’s charging infrastructure has been shaky.

A poll of AA members said installing EV charging points on new-build homes would be the best way to encourage motorists to make the switch from petrol or diesel to electric.

The government has now launched an open consultation on the plans which closes on October 7.

Speaking to Environment Journal, Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), said: ‘Construction SMEs are keen to work with the government to help reduce the UK’s carbon emissions through changes to new and existing homes.

‘Building new homes with electric charging points for cars could help towards this.

‘However, we recommend that the developer is required to put the infrastructure – such as the cabling – in place while the homeowner is responsible for adding the charging point.

‘That’s because charging points vary hugely and the homeowner will need to install one that matches with their particular vehicle.’

The government is also consulting on requirements that all new private charge points use ‘smart’ technology.

This means an electric vehicle would charge at different times of the day in response to signals, such as electricity tariff information. They say this would encourage off-peak charging, keeping costs down for consumers.

In related news, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced last week that they will spend £37m on ‘transforming’ electric charge point infrastructure, including projects to deliver wireless charging technology and a scheme that will see EVs charged by solar panels.