Despite the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) in recent years, there have been criticisms about the availability and quality of the public charge points available to drivers.
According to the updated law, EV charge points will now be more reliable, have clearer pricing structures, and have easier payment systems in place.
New legislation and the introduction of an open data source will look to transform the mapping of public charge points.
This means that it will be easier for EV owners to plan their journeys and remove range anxiety.
The Public Charge Point Regulations 2023 states that every year, EV charge point operators need to show the devices on their networks have a reliability average of almost 100%.
Should they fail, and then not suitable fix the issue, operators could face fines from £10,000 to £250,000.
If any EV drivers have any questions regarding the new regulations, there is a 24/7 helpline available.
RAC electric vehicles spokesman Simon Williams said: “We’re pleased to see the Government has acknowledged there’s a need to improve drivers’ experience at public chargers and has now set out some clear actions to address this.
“This has the potential to reassure many more people that switching to an electric vehicle makes sense, which is vital the closer we get to 2030 when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will end.
“Ensuring drivers only need to download and use a single app is a huge step forward from where we are today.
“We hope operators of rapid and ultra-rapid charging hubs will not just clearly display pence per kilowatt hour prices on chargers themselves but also on prominent digital signage similar to fuel price ‘totems’ which drivers are already very familiar with.
“We believe this is needed to make price comparisons easy for everyday EV drivers looking to charge up as cheaply as possible on a journey.”
What do you make of the Government’s announcement? Will this help more drivers make the switch to electric vehicles? Leave your comments below.
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