New law will require EV charge points to offer 99% average reliability

New legislation and the introduction of an open data source will look to transform the mapping of public charge points and require them to be more reliable, with clearer pricing structures and easier payment systems.

As electric vehicles (EVs) grow in popularity there has been strong criticism and driver frustration about the availability and quality of the public charge points.

The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 will require EV charge point operators to achieve a reliability average of almost 100%. And failure to comply could see them face fines from £10,000 to £250,000.

RAC electric vehicles spokesman Simon Williams said, “We’re pleased to see the Government has acknowledged there’s a need to improve drivers’ experience at public chargers and has now set out some clear actions to address this.

“This has the potential to reassure many more people that switching to an electric vehicle makes sense, which is vital the closer we get to 2030 when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end.

“Ensuring drivers only need to download and use a single app is a huge step forward from where we are today.

“We hope operators of rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs will not just clearly display pence per kilowatt hour prices on chargers themselves but also on prominent digital signage similar to fuel price ‘totems’ drivers are already very familiar with.

“We believe this is needed to make price comparisons easy for everyday EV drivers looking to charge up as cheaply as possible on a journey.”

Melanie Shufflebotham, Co-founder & COO at Zapmap added “From easy payment through to chargers you know will work when you get to them, these are issues we know drivers have highlighted for many years. Whether it’s showing the live status of charge points – if they are in use, in service or otherwise. It’s great to see these concerns now being addressed by Parliament too, which will lead to more collaboration across the industry for the benefit of EV drivers.