New regulation for public charge points

Last week the Government laid before Parliament the Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 (the PCPRs). These draft regulations, made using powers under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018, are intended to address current challenges and improve consumer experiences of using public electric vehicle (EV) charge points. The challenges faced by charge point users were assessed through a public consultation, which the Government published its Response to in March 2023, outlining the various issues faced by consumers.

The drive behind the introduction of the PCPRs, as summarised in the Government’s Guidance note, is ensuring a customer-friendly experience of public charge points and increasing the confidence of both current and prospective EV users, as the UK heads towards the ban on sale of all new petrol and diesel cars in 2030. This shift is seen as an essential component of the Government’s push to decarbonise the UK’s roads (as provided in its Transport Decarbonisation Plan) and deliver its ambitious Net Zero Strategy commitments.

EV charge point manufacturers and operators need to be aware of the key changes the regulations introduce in respect of both new and existing charge points in their network. Once the PCPRs are passed, some changes will need to implemented immediately while others allow for a longer implementation period:

Immediately…

• Pricing: Public complaints regarding a lack of a consistent pricing metrics will be addressed by a requirement to clearly display the total cost per charging session (including any connection fee), in pence per kilowatt hour. The price must be displayed either on the charge point itself or through another device (such as an app) which does not require the user to have signed up to any contract with the CPO.

After 12 months…

• Contactless payment: All new public charge points of 8kW and above, and existing rapid charge points of 50kW and above must offer a contactless payment option to customers, so that use of charge points is not reliant upon users having a smartphone with internet signal, or downloading and navigating new apps. Private charge points which become open to the public will have 12 months from their switch to an open network to provide contactless payment services.
• Reliability: A 99% reliability requirement (measured as an average across the operator’s network in each year) will be introduced for all rapid public charge points of 50kW and above and reliability data will be publicly available.
• Helpline: Charge point operators will need to provide a free 24/7 helpline, to ensure that customers struggling to charge their vehicles have the support they require. In order to drive continuous improvement and monitor key issues with charge points, operators will be required to report the calls they receive, noting reasons for calls, whether issues are resolved and, if so, the time taken to resolve issues.
• Open Data: Data collection requirements will introduce an obligation on charge point operators to use the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI), ensuring their data is open and provided in a machine-readable format, which must be accessible to the public, the market and government bodies. This will help inform customers of the suitability, availability and reliability of charge points.

After 24 months…

• Payment roaming: All EV charge points will need to offer users an option to pay through at least one roaming provider, allowing the customer to utilise a universal payment solution across multiple charge point networks.

For any queries on how the new regulations are likely to impact projects you are working on, please contact Charlotte Robinson or Chris Lewis.