29 November 2024
Following Government consultations which EVA England and our members fed into, the Public Charge Point Regulations legislation was passed in August 2023 and came into force on the 24th November 2023.
Last year, we did a deep dive into these regulations and we are back to provide an update.
One of these regulations, the Pricing Metric (providing clear information on cost before starting a new charging session, more on which below) went live immediately, while Charge Point Operators (CPOs) were given a year to provide open data, contactless payments, a free 24/7 helpline. As of this week, the rapid charger network will need to achieve, on average, 99% reliability.
They will have another year to enable consumers to pay through at least one roaming provider.
And if the charge point doesn’t follow these regulations? There are some hefty financial penalties. Oversight of CPOs and their compliance to these new measures is managed by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), part of the Department for Business and Trade.
Before we look at the impact that the pricing metric regulation had, and what we’re hoping for the ones coming into force this week, let’s look at what they apply to.
The regulations refer to “public charge points” and “rapid charge points”, so let’s start by clearing up what these term mean:
Public charge points include:
Public charge points do not include:
It’s worth noting that some regulations apply differently depending on the type of public charge point, which fall into three categories:
A year ago, the pricing metric regulations kicked in.
It mandated clear pricing display at public charge points. What that means in context is that, since then, all public charge points have had to prominently display the total cost of a charging session in pence per kilowatt-hour (p/kWh), either directly on the charge point or through a separate device.
This regulation was put into place to promote transparency and enable informed decision-making. It ensures EV drivers have a clear understanding of the cost before initiating a charging session, preventing nasty surprises.
Seems like common sense really, yet this wasn’t as common before that.
Transparency over charge point pricing was regularly cited as a concern in our 2021 EV driver survey that formed the basis for EVA England’s Government consultation response. For example, some drivers cited the following concerns:
“Maybe an email where relevant to show kwh used along with costs (receipt).”
“I automatically get a receipt when I buy petrol, why not electricity?”
“There needs to be transparency on charges just as there is on a petrol station sign/pump.”
Since the pricing regulations have come into force, the Government has clarified that dynamic pricing, where the price fluctuates during to the charging session, is permitted. There are strict stipulations, however, requiring the price charged to the consumer not to exceed the maximum price displayed to the consumer prior to the start of the charging session. Additional information on dynamic pricing and off-peak prices, and when these apply, must be accurately displayed for the consumer.
Now that we know what we’ll be paying, the actual payment part of charging is about to get a whole lot easier.
In our 2021 survey, 46% of participants cited contactless payment as their preferred payment method, followed by a smartphone app and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) card.
All new public charge points capable of delivering 8kW and above, as well as existing rapid charge points, must now offer contactless payment. Say goodbye to downloading apps or hunting for RFID cards in the glove compartment, just pull out your bank card and tap and go!
It’s worth noting that CPOs don’t have to put a contactless reader on every single charger. Instead, they need to make sure contactless payment is available for each site.
This could mean a card reader on every charger, a single payment point that covers multiple chargers, or even a nearby payment hub, just like you see at some petrol stations.
The regulations gave CPOs 12 months to set this up for their chargepoints, and so for private chargers transitioning to public use, the clock starts ticking when they go public, giving them a year to make the switch to contactless payments.
Another regulation set to cut out the complications and make every charging stop feel effortless because driving electric should be easy!
This new regulation means that all data from charge point operators must be accurate, transparent, and easily accessible.
By using the standardised Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI) to hold and open their data, CPOs are required to share crucial data, such as locations, facilities, connector types, pricing, and availability, in a machine-readable format that’s free to access. This is designed to make life easier for EV drivers, who can now rely on up-to-date information to find the right charger, right when they need it.
This data is required to refresh within 30 seconds of any status change, giving drivers greater confidence in the accuracy of the data they use, and helping them avoid wasted journeys to unavailable chargers.
Government bodies, Distribution Network Operators, Transmission Owners and Electricity System Operators will also have access to this data, supporting smarter planning and a more resilient charging network. If CPOs fail to keep up, they could face fines of up to £10,000 per charge point—a powerful incentive to get it right!
When it comes to EV charging, reliability is everything.
In our 2021 survey, only 14% of survey participants felt that they regularly found chargepoints in good working order. While maintenance issues were most commonly cited with a particular motorway chargepoint operator, there were also general comments on finding out of order chargepoints, broken charging cables or vandalised chargepoints.
New regulations are raising the bar, requiring CPOs to ensure their rapid charge networks are, on average, 99% reliable annually. This means fewer frustrating encounters with out-of-service chargers, making life easier for EV drivers everywhere. And yes, this should mark the end of those pesky Zombie Chargers!
To keep everyone informed, CPOs now need to publish data on their reliability compliance on their websites. This new level of transparency aims to reassure drivers that they can count on a dependable charging experience.
So, how is reliability measured? To keep the government in the loop, CPOs are required to periodically send reports to the Department for Transport (DfT). These reports will cover everything from the number of charge points in their network to detailed information on each individual charger’s reliability, location and current status.
This reliability will be measured via the Open Data requirements outlined above. This data is gathered from the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) via the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI), an open protocol providing standardised signals to report on a charger’s usability, for example via common statuses such as “Available,” “Charging,” and “Reserved” to signal a charger’s usability.
EVSEs are essentially the ‘unit of measurement’ for these regulations. Individual EVSEs are defined as part of a physical charge point that can supply electricity to one vehicle at a time. Dual-bay chargers, for instance, can be considered as one or two EVSEs depending on their capability of charging two vehicles simultaneously.
Reliability is based on these statuses, which are classified into three categories:
If a charger is “Out of Order” or temporarily “Inoperative,” it’s marked as downtime . This includes the key functional parts of the charging point, including contactless readers. If the charger is not yet active or there’s a physical barrier, it’s exempt from the reliability calculation. If its status is ‘Unknown’, it is exempt from measurement; the Government has, however, stipulated this as only allowed under specific circumstances that need justifying by the CPO is its annual report.
While this data might not seem directly useful to everyday drivers, it serves as a safeguard as the guidelines clarify that enforcement action can be taken if too many charge points fall short of the 99% target.
This is all about giving EV drivers a smooth and dependable charging experience, one reliable stop at a time.
Every charge point will now have a dedicated, free 24/7 helpline. This means no more being left stranded or confused at a charge point without help.
CPOS must ensure a staffed telephone support line is available around the clock via a cost-free 0800 number. The contact details will be clearly displayed at every charging location, so help is always just a phone call away if things go wrong.
It’s worth mentioning CPOs are responsible for fixing issues within their control, like software glitches, but problems beyond their control, like unexpected power cuts, are understandable exceptions.
Another benefit of this regulation will be the quarterly reports sent to DfT, which will detail the types of calls, response times, and any unresolved cases, helping hold CPOs accountable.
This transparency is another win for EV drivers, ensuring no one gets left behind.
While today’s new Public Charge Point Regulations are already shaking up the EV landscape, there’s another important change coming down the line: roaming is set to roll out exactly one year from now and will make charging even more convenient!
All CPOs must enable consumers to pay through at least one roaming provider at their charge points.
This regulation will make it easier for drivers to pay, no matter where they plug in, as every charge point will need to support payments through at least one roaming provider.
This move towards interoperability aims to make charging simpler and more accessible by allowing payments to be handled through familiar apps or services, cutting down on the hassle of signing up for multiple accounts.
One potential pitfall is that CPOs could form closed roaming networks (limited partnerships with other providers) just to meet these requirements, which could lead to some fragmentation, where certain payment options are only available at select networks.
Still, the introduction of roaming will add another layer of convenience, giving drivers more options and flexibility. With the groundwork being laid by today’s regulations, the benefits of this change should already be noticeable by the time roaming goes live.
The new public charge point regulations are a big step forward for EV Drivers, but they’re just the beginning. They are designed to make charging more reliable, transparent, and accessible for everyone—but we know that real improvements come from listening to the people who use these charge points every day. That’s why your feedback is crucial.
As an EV drivers’ organisation, we’re here to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear. We’ve already seen a strong call for better signage at charging locations, similar to the clear guidance you would get at petrol stations. And we know there are other areas that need attention too.
The responses many of you have provided to our yearly EVA surveys have provided us valuable insights into EV driver priorities, providing the crucial basis for many of the policy proposals we then put across to Government and parliamentarians.
For example, whilst 9 in 10 EV drivers reported not wanting to move back to petrol or diesel in our latest survey and report, we also crucially identified a ‘charging divide’ between those with and without access to off-street parking: among drivers without, half are finding EVs just as, if not more, expensive to run compared to petrol and diesel; compared to the 9 in 10 with off-street parking finding EVs cheaper.
We’re committed to continuing to advocate for a seamless charging experience, and that means holding operators accountable, pressing for better standards, and ensuring that your needs are at the heart of the EV transition.
Together, we can drive improvements that make a real difference!