This month in the United Kingdom (UK), new regulations for electric vehicle (EV) charging are coming into effect, aimed at improving the user experience, which is seen as an obstacle to the mass adoption of EVs.
For charge point operators (CPOs) and industry stakeholders, understanding these changes is crucial to ensure compliance and maintain smooth operations.
Otherwise, CPOs that fail to meet regulatory standards will face fines of up to 10,000 pounds per charge point, imposed by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS).
Who must comply with these requirements?
Joe Gorman, Vice President – Europe (Interim), and Antoine Picron, Sr Policy Manager at ChargePoint, explain in a webinar that the regulation applies to CPOs facilitating public charging in the UK.
The stations involved must be accessible to the general public, whether on private or public land, even if they are only open for limited hours.
Those located in restricted areas are not included in this category.
“If a shop buys charging stations and installs them, it must comply with the regulation. In contrast, workplaces offering the service to their employees and visitors are exempt,” they explain from the company.
It is worth noting that the regulation covers a wide range of requirements that began coming into force in November 2023 and will continue to be applied progressively during this month and next year.
What are these requirements?
Contactless Payment
As of 24 November, CPOs must offer contactless payment.
“They must ensure that contactless bank card payment is available to consumers on an ad hoc basis,” ChargePoint explains.
However, this requirement applies depending on the power of the charger.
“It must be offered for all new public charge points of eight kilowatts or more deployed after 24 November this year,” they explain.
They continue: “But when it comes to DC stations, the requirement is retroactive, meaning that all stations of 50 kilowatts or more must offer contactless bank card payment.”
In this regard, stations installed before 24 November that do not offer this option will need to be retrofitted.
Another aspect to bear in mind is that QR code payments “are not sufficient to comply.”
Roaming Details
“In the UK, the regulation takes a step forward in favour of roaming development and requires that by November 2025, CPOs must be connected to at least one roaming provider,” ChargePoint states.
This enables users to pay using their chosen payment method on any network where they need to charge their vehicle.
“There are several markets, such as the UK and Sweden, where roaming is not yet widespread, although this is starting to change,” they note.
“If you compare it with France, the Netherlands, or Belgium, the UK is lagging. But I’m sure that with this regulation, it will catch up,” they add.
Reliability
From November 2024, CPOs will need to report the reliability of rapid charge points, ensuring they meet a 99% uptime.
Additionally, if a station is out of service, CPOs must disclose the reasons for the downtime.
The first report is due in January 2026, covering all of 2025.
“We are working to ensure that every CPO has the same method of reporting to the regulator and that situations where they cannot manage uptime and are not responsible for downtime are exempt from the 99% reliability threshold required,” the company states.
Online Help Reporting
From November this year, CPOs will be required to offer a free 24/7 helpline for EV drivers.
It is worth noting that operators will need to submit quarterly reports on helpline activity, with the first report scheduled for January 2025.
It must indicate the number of calls received, the reasons, and the solutions provided.
Data Transparency
All charging point data – including availability, pricing, and reference data – must be accurate, accessible via the Open Charge Point Interface (OCPI), and publicly available in a machine-readable format.
“Pricing transparency, a provision that came into effect last year, requires CPOs to display the maximum price per kilowatt-hour that a driver will need to pay, either at the charging station or on their app,” ChargePoint explains.
It’s worth noting that this provision does not prevent dynamic pricing, where prices can change during the charging session.
“It should also be noted that packages where payment for parking and EV charging are bundled can be offered, but the portion of the price related to charging must be displayed as a price per kilowatt-hour,” the company clarifies.
Finally, it’s important to highlight that data transparency requires CPOs to make their network data publicly accessible on their website, and also available upon request by government authorities.
Failure to comply with this could result in financial penalties, as well as a loss of public trust.
“CPOs face fines of up to 10,000 pounds per non-compliant charger if the OPSS finds them in breach of the regulations,” ChargePoint states.
They add, “While some flexibility might be expected initially, over time the regulator will become stricter in enforcing this regulation.”
