The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ofgem and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published the Electric vehicle smart charging action plan on 18 January 20231. The 52-page policy paper sets out the steps government and the regulator will take to deliver energy flexibility from electric vehicle charging, which it describes as providing "affordable, green power"1.
The actions are grouped into three categories: making smart charging the affordable, convenient choice for consumers, through increased consumer confidence and appropriate protections; providing the right business landscape for smart charging products, covering regulations, standards and innovation; and an energy system ready for smart charging, covering accessible tariffs and flexibility services that incentivise it, plus data and tools to plan for and manage risks arising from EV flexibility1.
"This action plan sets out the steps that government and Ofgem will take to deliver energy flexibility from electric vehicle ( EV ) charging, providing affordable, green power."
Alongside the plan, the government issued an Electric vehicle smart chargepoint survey 2022 and a summary of responses to its call for evidence on the role of vehicle-to-X energy technologies in a net zero energy system1. The Zemo Partnership reported that the action plan was partly informed by that call for evidence, which concluded in 20212. It also reported that 17 projects received support funding worth up to £235,000 through the government's V2X Innovation Programme, part of the £65 million Flexibility Innovation Programme2. The programme aims to address barriers to enabling energy flexibility from bi-directional charging2.
Zemo reported that new arrangements made by Ofgem to deliver the Market-Wide Half Hourly Settlement Programme are designed to facilitate the uptake of smart charging through market incentives, and to remove barriers for V2X2. It said the Zemo Partnership-convened EV Energy Taskforce is highlighted in the plan as "a trusted expert group", and that the Taskforce's study concluded smart charging could save £2bn in distribution network reinforcement costs by 20502. The same study found issues remain around data and communications needed to enable dynamic smart charging2.
| Category of action | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Consumer choice | Consumer confidence in smart charging and protections for a positive experience1 |
| Business landscape | Regulations, standards and innovation for safe goods and services, consumer choice and market function1 |
| Energy system readiness | Accessible tariffs and flexibility services, plus data and tools to plan, incentivise and manage EV flexibility risks1 |
Why it matters for households
Smart charging shifts when a car draws power, so a home with an electric vehicle can charge at times that suit the grid rather than at peak. The plan's consumer strand is about confidence and protections, which bears on what a household can expect from a smart charging tariff or reward scheme and from the regulator that oversees the market. The energy system strand concerns tariffs and flexibility services that pay or reward households for charging flexibly, and the data needed to make that work. The plan also covers bidirectional charging, where a car can send power back, which is the subject of vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home arrangements. Taken together, the measures are aimed at making a home's EV charging part of its energy independence rather than simply a new load on the network. The plan does not set out rates, grant amounts or product specifications for households.
What happens next
The action plan itself lists no dated milestones beyond publication on 18 January 20231. The V2X Innovation Programme projects have been announced as successful recipients of funding2. No further timetable for the actions has been reported.