Jurisdiction: UK
Commencement: 27th May 2022
Amends: Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018
The Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018 is intended to enable consumers in the United Kingdom to benefit from improvements in transport technology. It provides a framework for new regulations to be made to enable new transport technology to be invented, designed, made and used.
The Act allows for :
- the creation of a new liability scheme for insurers in relation to automated vehicles; and
- the creation of regulations relating to the installation and operation of charging points and hydrogen refuelling points for electric vehicles.
Part 1 of this Act relates to motor insurance for automated vehicles (i.e. vehicles that can drive themselves without human intervention) and determines liability where an accident caused by an automated vehicle occurs. There are no environmental requirements in this Part. More detail can be found in the regulations. It supplements the compulsory motor insurance framework set out in the Road Traffic Act 1988 [RTA1988].
Part 2 of this Act relates to electric vehicle charging and applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is intended to address incompatibility of charge points by requiring standard connectors for vehicles. This would ensure that an electric vehicle could charge at any public charging (or refuelling) point.
It also improves access to charge points by requiring that they are accessible without membership, certain information is made available on charge points and there is a common method of payment.
This Act gives the Secretary of State power to make regulations:
- requiring large fuel retailers and service area operators to provide and maintain public charging points;
- which address the lack of consistency in the content and format of publicly available information on public charging points;
- which ensure the provision of data from charge points to specified organisations (such as the National Grid and electricity distribution network operators); and
- regulations prohibiting the sale and installation of charge points in the UK, unless they meet certain requirements, which will be prescribed in regulations.
This Act set out duties for the Secretary of State and places no direct duties on businesses.
Amendment
Section 11 of the 2018 Act came into force on 27th May 2022. The Secretary of State may now make regulations requiring large fuel retailers and service area operators to provide and maintain public charging points for electric vehicles.
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