This month, two important changes are happening in terms of EV infrastructure that will stimulate uptake of EVs and accelerate the decarbonisation of the transport industry, as well as creating opportunities for electricians and those with electrical skills to upskill.
15 June 2022 – New Approved Document S
The government announced back in November last year that it would bring in new legislation mandating the installation of EV charging points in new homes and non-residential buildings.
As part of a large-scale update of the Building Regulations, the new Part S comes into force on 15June 2022 alongside new statutory guidance for housebuilders, property developers and EV charge point installers, Approved Document S, 2021 edition.
The new regulations apply to:
- New build homes
- New build non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces, such as supermarkets and workplaces
- Buildings undergoing change of use
- Buildings undergoing largescale renovations which result in 10 or more parking spaces.
How many EV charge points do we have?
The government says it has supported the installation of 250,000 EV charge points in homes and workplaces to date. In addition to this, there are over 30,000 public EV charging devices across the UK, almost 5,500 of which are rapid chargers.
How many more EV charge points will be installed under the new regulations?
An estimated 145,000 each year. After 2030, consumers will no longer be able to purchase new petrol and diesel vehicles, therefore this new legislation aims ease the transition by ensuring as many homes, workplaces and ‘destinations’ – places like retail parks and supermarkets – as possible have EV charging facilities.
30 June 2022 – Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021
The government is also introducing regulations to ensure that EV charge points sold for domestic or workplace use have smart functionality and device-level requirements, including things like supplier interoperability, measuring systems to calculate data surrounding usage and ensure transparency, safety provisions and security requirements.
Why are these regulations important?
Demand on the grid is increasing due to the electrification of sectors such as transport and heating. At the same time, we have the additional challenge of a higher proportion of renewable energy entering the mix, which is less reliable and controllable than fossil fuels.
The challenge of balancing supply and demand will only become more complex as we move further down the path to decarbonisation. We need to be clever about how we use energy generated from renewable sources, including for EV charging which could cause a surge on the grid if it is not properly managed.
These regulations seek to address this and prevent power outages in the future.
Time to train
Updates such as these help to accelerate progress and create jobs and opportunities for those with the right skills.
Electrical installers could consider expanding into EV charge point installation to deliver the infrastructure required to meet our net zero targets – see our Level 3 EV Charging course for more information.
Solar PV and battery storage will also make a major contribution to balancing supply and demand of electricity moving forward and are a great investment for EV drivers, creating a golden triangle of generation, storage and use that could see monthly costs reduced to a bare minimum.
EVs themselves also make great storage devices following the development of bi-directional charging devices that allow power to move from EV to home as well as from home to EV.
If you are interested in this new approach, take a look our Level 3 Solar Photovoltaics Installer course and Level 3 Battery Storage training course – a pioneering qualification that we helped to develop alongside LCL Awards.