EV charging ports: INDRA explains what housebuilders need to know
A new law which requires all new properties to have EV charging technology has put housebuilders in the driving seat; however, with so many options many will be wondering which direction to take. Complying with the new guidelines is far from a tick box exercise; the right technology can improve saleability, save money and future-proof a development.
We asked Mike Schooling, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at INDRA, what housebuilders need to know about choosing the right provider.
What advice would you give to housebuilders on implementing the new law?
In order to achieve net zero, our society needs to switch away from fossil fuels and use clean energy, so in transport, driving the switch to electric cars (EVs) is an obvious solution. We welcome this new legislation to help ensure homes are future proofed to power EVs which soon will be commonplace.
We believe 80% of your miles will be charged from so it’s essential that our houses have the right infrastructure in place to support this and its designed into new homes that are being build today to power tomorrow’s needs.
Key factors to consider are:
- Developer Economics – By opting to install chargers such as our INDRA Smart Pioneer, which has a charge speed of up to 7kW (equivalent of adding around 25-30 miles of range per hour), developers don’t need to scale up the electrical infrastructure of the build. They can also take advantage of the OZEV grant, which means they can claim £350 towards the installation cost. Indra chargers are fitted using less materials (£100 in value) that competitor products and can typically be installed in 45 minutes less time that competitors. This makes it very attractive to contractors and electricians because this means more jobs can be completed while on site!
- Home Efficiency & Safety – It’s also important to think about how the charger will integrate with other features in the home. All of our EV chargers, for example, offer house fuse protection, and are solar compatible – meaning homeowners can utilise free green electricity from solar panels to power their electric car. Additionally, our chargers will throttler its charging rate depending on what other appliances are being used and therefore avoid your house fuse constantly tripping or being damaged.
- Smart Control – Charging when electricity is cheap (off peak) requires smart functionality. Our chargers are the smartest which means your customers save time and money when they charge using Indra chargers, whilst also assisting the Grid with managing energy demand levels on a wider level. All the EV charger user needs to do is set the time they want they car charged by and the EV charger app does the rest.
- Reliability of the chargers – EV chargers such as the UK manufactured INDRA Smart Pro and Pioneer are extremely reliable, with 0 failures and 100% customer satisfaction. Should any issues arise with the charger, these can normally be resolved remotely by our technical team within hours.
What are the latest developments in EV charging technology?
It’s a really exciting time for EV charging technology as we continue to invest in developing EV chargers that not only help drivers minimise their transport costs, but which can also enable people to manage their energy use in their homes more effectively.
For example, we are testing technology that enables vehicle-to-home (V2H) charging. V2H is a revolutionary bi-directional intelligent charger which will essentially allow homeowners to use their EV as a flexible battery source, providing a win-win solution for both EV driver homeowners and the National Grid.
V2H enables EV drivers to charge their vehicle at the most cost effective time for them and then to use the energy to not only power their car, but also to power their home through the bi-directional EV charger. For example, a homeowner will be able to charge their car off-peak and use that energy to not only power their vehicle, but also to power their kettle or their ovens.
This has fantastic implications for not only enabling homeowners to manage the cost of their electric energy, but it also has fantastic implications for helping to balance the energy demand on the Grid on a much wider scale.
Our V2H charger’s two-way method of distributing energy is also an eco-friendly solution designed to reduce CO2 emissions and stabilise the grid and forms an integral part of our commitment to developing green technology and accelerating the adoption of tomorrow’s technology today.
How has demand for EV charging ports changed over the last year; what are the factors behind this?
In the wake of the UK government’s announcement that they’re bringing plans to ban sales of new petrol and diesel cars forward to 2030, sales of EVs are on the rise – and new figures from the SMMT have revealed that the number of electric cars sold in the UK just in September neared the figures for the whole of 2019.
Recent fuel shortages have only added to this demand, and nearly 33,000 pure electric cars were registered in a record month for EVs, almost 50% more than last year.
With the demand for more EVs comes need for more EV chargers. Although there has been a lot of talk about rapid chargers being made available at motor service stations, our research indicated that as much as 80% of EV charging takes place in the home environment, with average daily journeys of around 30 miles.
That is why we think installing smart, reliable EV chargers in the home is so key. There is also increasing evidence that more and more homebuyers are also looking for properties that support their EVs, and according to research by Rivervale Leasing, homes that have an electric charge point installed sell for 13% more than the local average. With the average UK house price now at £194,000, according to the ONS, that could mean a value increase of £25,220 to your property.
In addition, a survey by Co-op Insurance found that 39% of people think properties without a home car charging station will lose value moving forwards – meaning installing an EV charge point is not only important to ensuring you comply with law, but is also essential to futureproofing your properties.
Source: Show House News
