- The UK Government has proposed new home charging regulation reforms which cut red tape, giving a wider cohort of drivers the opportunity to charge up at home with more affordable domestic energy prices.
- If approved, the changes would make EV ownership more accessible for drivers in rented properties and those without a private driveway, who have to park on the street outside their house.
- These new home charging proposals come as the UK edges closer to its 2030 ZEV target, which will mandate that new passenger cars can be sold in fully-electric or plug-in hybrid form only, before going electric-only by 2035.
UK takes steps to make home charging more accessible
On the cross-pavement charging side, which has already been bolstered from a £25 million investment earlier this year, the government will look to cut red tape further, speeding up the application process for home owners to have a pavement gully installed outside their property, whilst also reducing the application costs by up to £250.
The proposals also indicate that new covered car parks located near residential sites will be mandated to have EV chargers included, allowing more drivers to easily make the switch without having to rely solely on more expensive public charging infrastructure.
The government is set to imminently launch a consultation on the proposals, allowing the industry to have their say on whether these measures go far enough. Public charge point operators have been repeatedly calling for public charging VAT, currently stood at 20%, to be cut to 5% in line with domestic energy, but there’s nothing in these proposals to suggest that will be implemented.
This new proposal follows a growing line of actions implemented by the government to encourage more drivers in the UK to switch to electric cars. Most recently, this included the Electric Car Grant scheme, which offers up to £3,750 off the price of a new electric car – with sustainable production practices and a high level of UK production required to meet the highest tier grant.
UK Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, commented:
“Wherever you park your car, we’re making it fairer, easier, and cheaper to make the switch to electric. These reforms will improve infrastructure for the EV revolution, increase chargepoints across the country and open up affordable home charging to thousands more households. It’s good news for drivers and a big boost for the growing British EV industry – cutting costs and supporting jobs to deliver our Plan for Change.”
