Government announces smart EV charging plan

Announced on 17^th January 2023, the plan sets out steps being taken to make smart charging the preferred method of long duration charging by 2025.

In a statement announcing the plan, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) said that smart charging harnesses the potential of energy use data and the latest energy innovations to deliver significant benefits for consumers.

These include allowing motorists to charge EVs when electricity is cheaper or cleaner, allowing consumers to power their home using electricity stored in their EV, or even sell it back to the grid for profit. BEIS believes high mileage motorists could save up to £1,000 a year through smarter charging.

Energy and climate minister Graham Stuart believes the plan will ‘let people take control of their energy usage, in the most convenient and low-cost way.’

He said: “We want to make smart charging an easier choice for drivers of electric vehicles, whether that is charging on the driveway, at the workplace, or parked on the street. To do that we need to build new network infrastructure at pace, using the latest available technologies.”