It might have escaped your notice that the government recently published new regulations for public charge points with an aim to improve consumer protection as well as the charging experience for EV drivers. ⚡

I fall into the 7% camp of those who own an electric vehicle and very much welcome this news which comes along with a promise of driving up user experience to include clearer pricing, easier payment routes and enhanced reliability.

And with this 7% likely to turn into double figures and beyond very swiftly, it’s good to see the government building a robust regulatory regime to support this exponential growth. A lot can be learned from the regulatory regime for public fossil fuel purchases via garage forecourts etc. Ultimately it is well established and has broadly functioned well for a long time. I am not suggesting copying it, far from it, put covering the basics of transparent pricing, easier payment and reliability is a good place to start…

Key takeaways from the regulations…

1.   All chargers over 8kW will need to have built in contactless payment functionality within the next year 💳

2.    Charge point operators (CPOs) will need to be completely transparent about their pricing and have third party roaming deals within two years whilst also ensuring that all chargers have 24/7 helplines. 💷

3.     A 99% reliability rate will be mandated across each CPO’s network.

Within the UK there are currently circa 44,000 public charge points with only 8500 of these being rapid chargers so there is much work to be done in this respect.

I will watch with interest as my ex-colleagues at OPSS look to enforce the regulations to ensure these charge point operators rise to the challenges been laid down with the inevitable competition that will ensue as a result to gain a market lead…

Variable rates, exclusive membership offers, and free initial credit will all be there to encourage and retain consumer loyalty.

I envisage plenty of opportunities for businesses within this sector who need to get on the front foot and devise a strategy right now for maximum market infiltration….

If you like a conversation about how to comply with the regulations or would like me to review your current practices, DM me…