Nearly half (46%) of UK fleets are unaware of new EV rules coming into play this week that will require all new charge point installations to be smart.

From 30 June 2022, EV charge points sold in Great Britain for private use – either domestic or workplace – must have smart functionality

That’s according to EO Charging, which is warning that a lack of understanding around the legislation risks undermining the UK’s progress toward net zero.

The new rules are underpinned by the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, which say that from 30 June 2022, electric vehicle charge points sold in Great Britain for private use – either domestic or workplace – must have smart functionality, allowing the charging of an electric vehicle when there is less demand on the grid, or when more renewable electricity is available.

The regulations also ensure that charge points meet certain device-level requirements, enabling a minimum level of access, security and information for consumers.

But the research by EO Charging among 500 British fleet managers found that many were confused by or unaware of the upcoming rules on the sale of smart EV chargers. A further quarter (26%) falsely assumed that the new rules would lead to raised running costs for their fleet.

The firm added that fleet managers’ pessimism is linked to the fact that nearly three-quarters of firms (73%) reported their adoption of EV vehicles had been complicated or held back by recent changes to regulations and grants.

Earlier this month the Government ended the plug-in-grant for cars nearly a year earlier than it had originally promised. Half of those interviewed (55%) stated that such changes had increased business costs, while only 30% agreed that EV rules and government guidance to date had been easy and low-cost to implement.

Charlie Jardine, CEO at EO Charging, commented: “Bringing in new market policy or legislation isn’t easy; it takes time for an industry to adapt. But these businesses don’t have time – they’ve got a hard deadline to transition to electric and need to feel confident in the economic and environmental case for doing so. It’s vital that government and industry providers, like EO, do what we can to ensure confusion over these law changes does not slow down the pace of fleet electrification.

“The benefits of smart charging are significant – from increased vehicle uptime, savings on long-term energy costs, to a lower TCO – that’s the message businesses need to hear. The fact that a quarter think this move will increase costs, is a real concern. The UK has become a world leader in EVs, and large fleets like our customers Amazon and Tesco, are setting the pace for their global peers. We must do what we can to continue to strengthen and grow that leadership.”

However, despite confusion over the rules, the majority of UK firms continue to make solid progress on EV fleet adoption, with 8 in 10 (81%) having a clear strategy in place, and 50% already implementing their plans. More than twice the proportion of businesses expect the shift to EVs to boost (52%) rather than undermine future profitability (32%).

EO Charging, which supports fleets for half of the UK’s top 10 online retailers with charging services, has now unveiled two new products compliant with the new charge point regulations.

Its EO Genius 2 and EO Mini Pro 3 devices are designed and manufactured in the UK, and offer future-proofed smart functionality to permit the default off peak charging hours required by the new regulations.

The EO Genius 2 is the company’s second-generation commercial charger, following the EO Genius 1, while the EO Mini Pro 3 will take over from the Mini Pro 2 as its signature home charger. Both will be Vehicle-to-Grid-ready (V2G) within the next 12 months. EO will also launch a range of customisable fascias to allow users to personalise their chargers to best compliment their home or vehicle.

Alongside the new hardware, EO has developed a new smartphone app to give advanced control, such as automatic settings that select the cheapest time to charge or solar functionalities to enable customers with solar panels to charge their vehicle with electricity generated purely by the sun.

Richard Earl, head of research and development at EO, added: “We have been fortunate in that our development of smart chargers was already well advanced before the change of regulations. Despite this head start, like many we have faced challenges in getting products to market in time with ongoing global supply chain challenges.”

He added: “We’ve managed to deliver smart charging solutions that are capable of flexing to future regulatory changes, and so will continue to support our clients in unlocking the business benefits of EVs long into the future.”