On 6 March 2020, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) published an Invitation to Tender (ITT) for a new project: “Beyond Off Street – Smart Meter EV Charging”.
This project aims to innovate around the use of smart metering to design, test, manufacture and trial an Electric Vehicle (EV) chargepoint device that can perform smart charging in a context beyond the existing smart meter roll out scope. Target contexts are on-street charging outside the home, and workplace charging. Other contexts will be considered as long as they are outside the existing smart meter roll out scope of homes and microbusinesses.
The long-term EV smart charging solution needs to meet four policy objectives:
- grid protection (including cyber security);
- consumer protection (including interoperability and data privacy);
- innovation; and
- consumer uptake (of both EVs and smart chargepoints).
In the electric vehicle smart charging consultation published in summer 2019, the Government has proposed the smart metering system as the lead option for EV smart charging, based on its established ability to deliver load control in a way which minimises risks to consumers and the wider electricity system. This project aims to show that smart metering can perform smart charging in a range of contexts, beyond the existing smart meter roll out scope.
Details of how to get involved in developing smart meter-enabled electric vehicle charging points for on-street and workplace charging, and the ITT, can be found on the Contracts Finder website here (search for: “Beyond Off Street”).
You can register your interest in this project by emailing smartmeterspmo@beis.gov.uk with “Beyond Off Street” in the subject line.
If you have any questions please contact smartmeterspmo@beis.gov.uk.