EV chargers could be switched off during peak time to prevent grid overload

New home and workplace electric vehicle charge points will be pre-programmed to switch off during peak hours to ease pressure on the National Grid, the Times has reported.

What’s more, it’s been reported that a randomised delay of up to 30 minutes could be put in place when there is high demand if a large amount of drivers charge at the same time.

New chargers will not operate from 8am to 11am and 4pm to 10pm, but drivers will be able to override the preset times to take account of night workers and people who have different schedules.  

Public chargers and rapid chargers, on motorways and A-roads, will be exempt.

Tanya Sinclair, policy director for UK and Ireland at ChargePoint, said: “Concerns surrounding the UK’s grid to support the charging of electric vehicles is mounting.

“The challenge for the Government, and perhaps the wider electricity system, is ensuring the ‘smartness’ in every charger is actively used by consumers, and managing the load represented by the legacy charging infrastructure already in the field which is not smart.”

"Whilst the measures outlined above can go some way to lessening the impact of vehicle electrification on the grid, there will still need to be investment from industry and government to ensure that there are enough places with enough capacity to support the rapid and high power DC charging hubs that drivers need for peace of mind on long journeys.  

"This should not be seen as a threat to the grid and the energy industry, but more as an opportunity. The past ten years have seen a huge push for efficiency in power consumption across the board. A building today uses only a small proportion of what it did in the past, and this gap is only going to get wider and the electrification of transport offers a new growth avenue for the industry, however, for it to be a success, action and investment needs to take place now."