EV Charging news from 2024
53 stories, newest first
- December 2024
equiwatt launches PowerSmart events for NESO's Demand Flexibility Service
equiwatt has launched PowerSmart events for NESO's Demand Flexibility Service, adding multi-event notifications, more eGift rewards, a spot prize draw and smart device automations for all app users.
Zapmap EV buying guide updated for 2024
Zapmap has updated its electric vehicle buying guide for 2024, covering purchase costs, charging access and running costs as battery production costs fall and EV prices come down.
Full year 2024 BEV market share falls short of mandate
Battery electric cars took 19.6% of the UK new car market in 2024, a record share but below the 22% required by the zero emission vehicle mandate, with private demand falling.
- November 2024
Uswitch updates EV charging cost guide
Uswitch updated its electric car charging cost and charging time guides on 26 November 2024, setting out current average unit rates, example charging costs and home charging times.
Renault 5 E-Tech 100% electric priced from £22,995 OTR ahead of January 2025 order opening
Renault UK has announced that the Renault 5 E-Tech 100% electric will start at £22,995 on the road, with orders opening in January 2025 and first UK deliveries in Spring 2025.
Kaluza powers smart charging plan within Volvo Cars app in world first
Volvo electric vehicle drivers can now enrol in OVO's Charge Anytime smart charging plan from inside the Volvo Cars app, at 7p/kWh with 2,700 miles of free charging for enrolling.
Launch of EV facts initiative by SMMT, Auto Trader and ChargeUK
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Auto Trader and ChargeUK have launched an EV facts initiative to provide a balanced, data-backed view of electric vehicle motoring.
- October 2024
EDF and Pod Point launch EV charger and tariff bundle
EDF and Pod Point have launched a combined home charger and EV tariff bundle that cuts the upfront charger payment to £499 and spreads the rest over two years.
EO Charging ceases replacement units for Genius 1 and Hub 1
EO Charging has stopped supplying replacement units for its Genius 1 and Hub 1 chargers, with app payment services and its Cloud 1 platform to follow in January 2025.
ev.energy launches Solar Smart mode and new solar features
ev.energy has launched Solar Smart mode for its SOLAR product, adding live solar inverter integrations covering more than 700 models, an in-app daily solar forecast and a refreshed app interface.
- September 2024
Hypervolt and Octopus Energy open Octopus Intelligent Go integration to all v3 customers in Open Beta
Hypervolt has opened an Open Beta integration letting all Home 3 and Home 3 Pro customers enable the Octopus Intelligent Go smart charging tariff from the Octopus Energy app.
Hypervolt launches full OVO Charge Anytime support
Hypervolt has released full OVO Charge Anytime support on its Home 3 Pro and Home 3.0 chargers, letting owners on the OVO tariff charge at 7p per kWh after a public beta trial.
equiwatt adds Zaptec EV charger integration with 250 bonus points reward
equiwatt has added Zaptec home EV chargers to its app, offering owners 250 bonus points and automatic pausing of charging during flexibility events.
EDF launches bi-directional EV charging trial for solar customers
EDF has begun a trial using Indra Renewables bi-directional chargers so that customers with solar panels can power their homes from electric vehicle batteries and sell surplus power to the grid.
tado° launches PV forecasting for heat pumps and EVs
tado° has launched solar forecasting for its heat pump and EV charging services, scheduling both around predicted next-day generation from a home's own panels.
BEAMA and Green Finance Institute publish updated EV infrastructure guide
BEAMA and the Green Finance Institute have published a third edition of the Guide to Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, updating the 2015 original and adding material aimed at investors.
Residential firmware bundle 4.21.23 released
SolarEdge has published residential firmware bundle 4.21.23, adding multi-inverter backup support, IEC63027:2023 arc-fault compliance for low-power single-phase inverters and support for up to three EV chargers per site.
ScottishPower launches EV Optimise add-on for EV drivers
ScottishPower has launched EV Optimise, an add-on that smart charges electric vehicles at 9p per kWh day and night and credits savings back to the customer's electricity bill.
- August 2024
Hypervolt unveils beta of Synergy app for solar and storage customers
Hypervolt has opened a beta of its Hypervolt App v6, called Synergy, which links its EV chargers with OVO and Octopus smart tariffs and with Enphase and Tesla home storage.
Hypervolt releases beta of Octopus Intelligent Go support for v3 customers
Hypervolt has opened a limited beta of Octopus Intelligent Go support for owners of its Home 3 and Home 3 Pro chargers, with testing through August and wider rollout planned by the end of the year.
Warranty period for Wattpilot devices changed for devices delivered from this date
Fronius has extended the standard warranty on its Wattpilot electric vehicle chargers to three years, with devices delivered before 1 August 2024 keeping the earlier two-year term.
- July 2024
Powervault P5 warranty applies to products sold from 16 July 2024
Powervault has published warranty terms for its P5 home battery covering units sold in the United Kingdom from 16 July 2024, with pro-rata battery replacement and a ten-day defect notification window.
Good Energy launches fixed EV tariff with Zapmap Premium benefit
Good Energy has launched a fixed electric vehicle tariff with a five-hour overnight rate of 7.4p per kWh and a free Zapmap Premium subscription, available from 1 July.
- June 2024
OVO and Hypervolt launch Charge Anytime integration
Hypervolt has announced that its home EV chargers are now compatible with OVO's Charge Anytime add-on, which charges at 7p per kWh and can be controlled from the Charge Anytime app.
Smart Charge and Nectar loyalty offer launched
Sainsbury's Smart Charge says it became the first EV charging service to offer loyalty benefits from a leading UK loyalty programme, letting drivers collect Nectar points while charging.
- May 2024
SMMT releases analysis on UK EV model availability and market trends
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports 102 battery electric car models on sale in the UK, up from 16 in 2014, and calls for tax changes to lift demand.
Andersen EV units purchased on or after 14 May 2024 carry a 7 year warranty
Andersen EV has set a seven year warranty on charge points bought from 14 May 2024, with earlier units keeping three years and pre-administration units having no contractual cover.
Andersen introduces 7-year warranty on all new home charger installations
Andersen has introduced a seven-year warranty as standard on all new home charge point installations, covering units supplied from 14 May 2024, including those fitted by third parties.
ECIU report finds real-life fuelling costs of top-selling PHEVs exceed claims by £500 a year
Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit finds the UK's ten best-selling plug-in hybrid cars cost about £500 a year more to fuel in real-world driving than their manufacturers claim.
Pod Point launches Solo 3S home EV charger with solar integration
Pod Point has launched the Solo 3S home EV charger, adding solar charging modes that let drivers use excess solar power alone or topped up from the grid.
Andersen A3 charge point launched
Andersen EV launched its A3 home charge point in May 2024, a compact unit with a hidden cable that has since collected design and product awards and a colour collaboration with paint brand COAT.
Andersen A3 home charger launched
Andersen launched its A3 home charger in May 2024 with a seven-year warranty, the longest the company says is available on any home charge point, covering the unit and ancillary parts.
char.gy installs its 3,000th public charging point
char.gy has installed its 3,000th public charging point, with new charge points going live at a rate of around 400 per month, according to figures published by Zapmap.
National Infrastructure Commission report confirms UK on course for over 300,000 public chargers by 2030
ChargeUK's July 2024 white paper reports nearly a million UK charge points and says growth is on track for more than 300,000 public chargers by 2030, as the National Infrastructure Commission confirmed in May 2024.
- April 2024
Schneider Electric launches three eMobility charging solutions
Schneider Electric has announced three electric vehicle charging products, including a home charger and a commercial fast charger, at its annual Innovation Summit.
- March 2024
Ohme Home Pro eligibility changed to both commercial and residential
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles has reclassified Ohme's Home Pro chargepoint as eligible for both commercial and residential grants, opening it to household grant funding.
Hypervolt announces app 5.3 with new sign-in and scheduling features
Hypervolt has announced app version 5.3, rolling out gradually to all users through the end of March 2024, with native account sign-in, energy estimates for scheduled charging and a cross-day schedule countdown.
Wickes launches fully installed Hypervolt EV charger service
Wickes customers can now add a fully installed Hypervolt home charger to their order for £410, using Hypervolt's Trusted Installers and Bedfordshire installer ProEV.
Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking opens
The Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking opened on 18 March 2024, offering 75 per cent off a home chargepoint and cross-pavement solution, up to a maximum of £500.
Hypervolt and OVO expand charger installation partnership
Hypervolt has announced a multi-year Managed Installations Programme with OVO Energy, under which OVO engineers will fit Hypervolt Home 3 Pro chargers for partnership customers on the Charge Anytime tariff.
UK first Powercast feature launched by UK Power Networks and ev.energy
UK Power Networks and ev.energy have launched Powercast, a free app feature that notifies electric vehicle drivers in London, the South East and East of England about power cuts affecting their charging.
Confirmation of new EV battery manufacturing facility in Somerset
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has confirmed a multi-billion pound electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility will be built in Somerset, providing 4,000 skilled jobs.
Hypervolt launches Managed Installations Programme with loveelectric
Hypervolt launched a Managed Installations Programme with salary sacrifice provider loveelectric on 1 March 2024, with OVO engineers installing Home 3 Pro chargers for partnership customers.
OVO Charge Anytime beta in progress for Hypervolt chargers
Hypervolt has said it is working with OVO and Kaluza on a beta for OVO Charge Anytime, with news on next steps expected within weeks, alongside a new telemetry feature.
SMMT publishes findings on EV buyer deferral and calls for VAT changes in Spring Budget
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders says half of would-be electric car buyers now plan to wait until after 2030, and has asked the Chancellor to halve VAT on new private EV purchases.
Spring Budget 2024 delivered without private EV fiscal incentives
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has called the Spring Budget a missed opportunity on private electric vehicle demand, after it delivered no fiscal incentives for private buyers.
- February 2024
Consultation on changes to permitted development rights opened
The government consulted on changes to permitted development rights for electric vehicle charge points and air source heat pumps between 13 February and 9 April 2024, drawing 1,409 responses.
Eligible chargepoint model list first published
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles published its first list of electric vehicle chargepoint models eligible for its grants, covering residential, commercial and dual-use equipment.
Hypervolt rolls out Multi-Mode Scheduling to Home 3.0 and Home 3 Pro chargers
Hypervolt has begun rolling out Multi-Mode Scheduling to all Home 3.0 and Home 3 Pro chargers after completing beta testing, converting existing schedules automatically over the coming week.
- January 2024
Hypervolt releases app version 5.1 with PDF report downloads and troubleshooting guide
Hypervolt has begun rolling out version 5.1 of its charger app, adding direct PDF downloads of consumption reports and an in-app troubleshooting guide for connection problems.
Zapmap publishes record 2023 EV charging statistics
Zapmap's year-end figures show UK public charging points grew 45 per cent in 2023, with ultra-rapid devices up 112 per cent and charging hubs up 145 per cent.
Extended battery warranty for EV models registered from 1 January 2024
Kia's UK model pages state that high-voltage battery warranty cover for its electric models registered from 1 January 2024 runs to 8 years or 100,000 miles.
Octopus Energy launches UK's first vehicle-to-grid tariff
Octopus Energy launched Octopus Power Pack, described as the UK's first vehicle-to-grid tariff, at the beginning of 2024, following a vehicle-to-grid trial with National Grid ESO in 2022.