Frank Bertie, Chief Technical Officer at NAPIT Group, discusses the government’s increased policy focus on electric vehicles and highlights how installers can play a role in the journey towards decarbonisation.
Back in November 2020, the government pledged to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, marking a historic step on the journey towards net zero. The two years following this announcement have seen an increased focus on preparing the necessary infrastructure, workforce, products, and skills to meet the 2030 target. Installers of electric vehicle chargepoints are expected to be in high demand as the deadline for meeting the target approaches.
Regulations
The December 2022 uplift in Building Regulations supports the government’s commitment by requiring the installation of electric vehicle charge points (EVCPs) in all new homes and buildings and ensuring that all EVCPs installed going forward have smart functionality.
This is critical for building a long-term sustainable infrastructure as the EVCPs’ smart capability charges an electric vehicle when there is less demand on the grid or when more renewable electricity is available. This requirement also helps to mitigate concerns about grid capacity, load control and adequate electricity supply to buildings.
Not only do these Regulations alleviate some of the industry’s concerns about grid capacity, but ‘smart chargers’, as they’re dubbed, must also meet certain device-level requirements, enabling a minimum level of access, security, and information for consumers. This enables effective monitoring of usage and customer behaviour, which will aid in identifying any issues and allow any future policy to be based on empirical evidence.
Grants
In addition to regulating to increase the rate of EVCP installations, the government is providing grants for flat owner-occupiers and landlords to encourage further installations. The EVCP grant covers 75% of the cost of installing a single chargepoint. Landlords can receive up to 200 grants a year for residential properties, and a further 100 for commercial properties. This grant replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which was designed to help homeowners and provided funding for 291,549 domestic charging devices before concluding in April this year.
To qualify for the EVCP grant, the installation must be completed on the consumers’ behalf by an Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) registered installer. Being a member of an Electrical Competent Person Scheme and providing proof of public liability insurance are prerequisites for becoming an OZEV authorised installer.
Other government funding options for EVCPs include the Workplace Charging Scheme – a voucher-based scheme that assists eligible applicants with the upfront costs of purchasing and installing an EVCP in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, local government can take advantage of an on-street residential chargepoint scheme to help them support and deliver the EVCP rollout more effectively. The scheme’s goal is to increase the availability of on-street chargepoints on residential streets where off-street parking is unavailable.
Creating a competent EVCP installation workforce
The government’s commitment to improving EV infrastructure necessitates a skilled workforce of competent EVCP installers. NAPIT has a dedicated training provision to assist in the development of a competent EV installer workforce through a two-day training course offered at multiple NAPIT training locations across the country. The City & Guilds-approved course covers the Design and Installation of Domestic and Small Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Installations. NAPIT Training delivered EVCP courses to over 500 of the next generation of EVCP installers in 2021.
Whilst qualifications must be held and demonstrated, installers must also keep up-to-date with the latest developments as part of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Recent OZEV-commissioned audits of EVCPs installations revealed several common oversights made by installers that are often simple to correct.
Top Tips for EV installers
In response to the recent government funded audit, NAPIT has created a Top 10 Tips leaflet to provide valuable advice to installers of EVCPs.
This new guide outlines some key areas of focus for installers of EVCPs, and we encourage all those who undertake EVCP installations to take some time to read it as part of their Continuing Professional Development.
Areas of focus within the guide include how to approach existing electrical installation checks, ensuring the correct earthing of chargepoints, adequacy of supply, how to alert the DNO and labelling and certification requirements.
Access the Top 10 Tips guide here
