Electric vehicle chargers will be set to ‘switch off’ during peak times starting on May 30^th, 2022. This comes as the National Grid share concerns about potential blackouts due to the increase in electrical demand and charging infrastructure across the country.

The pre-programmed power down will ease the electrical load on the grid by automatically disabling the supply to home and workplace smart chargers between the hours of 8 am to 11 am and 4 pm to 10 pm.

As of next May, ‘smart chargers’ will be the only charging option for home and business owners wanting to have a charge point installed at their property. 

The government have also explained that they will be imposing ‘randomised delays’ of 30 minutes to chargers in certain areas to control grid spikes at other times throughout the day. 

This law will not apply to public and rapid chargers on motorways and A-road across the UK and can be overridden if needed, particularly for those working or travelling on opposing schedules to the typical 9-5 routine.

How will ‘smart’ off-peak charging be better?

Off-peak charging will not only reduce the over-demand of electrical energy needed to support the charger but will also save EV drivers money on the cost of charging their vehicles due to lower overnight tariffs from providers including:

• EDF Energy GoElectric cost 4.5p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) between 12 am and 5 am.
• Octopus Energy costs 5p/kWh between 12:30 am and 4:30 am.
• British Gas cost 6p/kWh with their current fixed rate Electric Drivers tariff until 2023. Their off-peak times are between 12 am and 5 am.

Innovations in smart charging are establishing ways to incorporate bi-directional Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology into electric vehicles and charge points to try and ‘balance the load’. This should help mitigate the demand fluctuations once the power-downs begin in May.

Manufacturers are also developing the V2G technology to help fill the gaps in power supplies when the electrical demand is at its highest, and ‘draw back’ that power when demand is low, to reduce the pressure being placed on the grid.

Will the power down cause disruption?

With the investments into smart technology chargers, and the electrical infrastructure, the plan to limit peak time charging should be successful in controlling the demand on the grid. This should enable us to avoid blackouts and create financial benefits for EV users if charge point tariffs remain at their current low rate.