New laws passed to improve EV charge point rollout

New laws approved by MPs are slated to boost the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

Specifically, the new regulations will ensure that prices across charge points are transparent and easy to compare and that a large proportion of new public charge points have contactless payment options.

The government has also published its response to the Future of Transport Zero Emission Vehicles consultation, confirming its intention to introduce laws to require local transport authorities to produce local charging strategies if they have not done so as part of local transport plans.

Under the new rules, EV charge point providers will also be required to open up their data, so drivers can easily find an available charge point that meets their needs.

The government claims this will make “it easier for drivers to locate charge points, check their charging speeds and determine whether they are working and available for use”.

Technology and decarbonisation minister Jesse Norman added: “Over time, these new regulations will improve EV charging for millions of drivers, helping them find the charge points they want, providing price transparency so that they can compare the cost of different charging options, and updating payment methods.

“They will make the switch to electric easier than ever for drivers, support the economy and help the UK reach its 2035 goals.”

In response, James Court, chief executive of Electric Vehicle Association England, described the laws as “game-changing”.

He said: “Better reliability, clearer pricing, easier payments, plus the potentially game-changing opportunities of open data are all a major step forward for EV drivers and should make the UK one of the best places to charge in the world.

“As the rollout of charging infrastructure gathers momentum, these regulations will ensure quality and help put consumers’ needs at the heart of this transition.”

These measures come as the country reaches record levels of public charging infrastructure, with numbers growing 42% year on year.

While prime minister Rishi Sunak recently relaxed the phase-out date for internal combustion engine cars and vans from 2030 to 2035, the UK still has targets of 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by the turn of the decade.

Part of Sunak’s justification for delaying the ban on petrol and diesel cars was the speed of the EV charging rollout, which he claimed had “failed to move at the necessary speed” to put the required charging points in place.

Earlier this month, Zapmap – a charge point mapping service – confirmed that the UK now has more than 50,000 EV charging points.

Reaching the 50,000 charge point milestone this month comes just eight months after the UK surpassed the 40,000 mark.

To put that in context, it took exactly a year to move from 30,000 to 40,000 charge points and 17 months to move from 20,000 charge points to 30,000.

Looking ahead, given the current rate of installation, Zapmap estimates that the UK is likely to reach 100,000 charging devices in August 2025.