In November 2021 at the CBI conference the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, made the announcement for measures to be set in place to support the 2030 target that the government have for the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. One of the most frequently expressed objections to the ban has been the scarcity to date of charging points for electric vehicles. The argument was that, without adequate infrastructure, such a ban would be unworkable.
To counter the objections the government has created a legal obligation on the builders of all new homes from this year to incorporate electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The law also covers new-build work places, supermarkets and major renovations in the hope of creating 145,000 new charging points every year. These rules will apply not only to professional construction companies but also to anyone engaged in a self-built project. It is quite possible that any major house renovations will be caught by the provisions.
At present property owners, whether residents or landlords, can arrange to have EV chargers fitted to their existing properties. The cost is significant but arguably not prohibitive, especially with the help of the OZ EV Wall Box Grant or the Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme (EVHS).
There are clearly long term savings with fuel prices continuing to rise, and the relative cost of public charging potentially means that the cost of installing EV equipment will be repaid over and above the initial outlay. The price of installation can be as low as £500 and need not exceed £1,200. However, while charging an electric car at home is the cheapest option, aside from free spaces in supermarket carparks or at your place of work, it may not be open to everyone.
Apart from the charging point itself, ideally you will also need off road parking such as a garage or at the very least a drive way or hard-standing area on your property. You always need easy access to a power supply for the installation and many houses, particularly in towns and city centres, will not have any off road space. There will also be a problem for those who live in flats where there is also the issue of communal power since it appears most likely that an EV point would have to feed off a communal supply. Questions of access, rights, maintenance and responsibility for payments will immediately arise.
Therefore, when considering an EV charger it is important to take account of research that challenges the almost universal assumption that electric charging is always the cheapest option. In some cases it could be more costly than filling up a petrol hybrid or even a diesel version of the same car. Recent research undertaken by Which Magazine found that a medium hatch-back uses 20.38 kWh per 100 km. If the average motorist drives 9,000 miles in a year then they would consume 2,591.9 kWh. At the lowest current rapid charge price of 38p per kWh, the cost of running an electric version would exceed that of the diesel or petrol hybrid.
What is certain however is that change is coming.
Should you require advice in relation to electric charges and the potential impact on having a charger at home and the requirements that you will need to meet, please feel free to contact us on 01256 320555 or email mail@clarkeandson.co.uk.
Simon Horwood
Litigation Executive
