20th October 2022, Malvern UK
Schedule 1, the second phase of the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 will come into effect on 30th December 2022. Just like phase one* in June, Indra supports these positive changes to help raise standards in the industry and ensure that homes across the country support a smart, safe, secure and connected future energy ecosystem.
The new regulations will help maximise the use of smart charging technologies to provide stability by balancing the demand for energy from the National Grid and also give the owners and users access to a deeper level of information, data control and security protection.
As a leading manufacturer of smart chargers and smart charging technology, Indra is proud to be leading the charge in compliance and announce that its Smart PRO home charger is now compliant with the full scope of the regulations including Schedule 1 for all units manufactured from October 2022. This is more than two months ahead of the regulatory requirement at the end of the year.
All Indra Smart PRO chargers manufactured from October 17th are fully compliant with the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 so installers and EV drivers can continue to fit and use Indra products with confidence.
What’s included in the new regulations
Schedule 1 is focused on providing enhanced cybersecurity to prevent data loss, tampering, and potential hacking. It will also provide better interoperability to support the future energy ecosystem. This includes updates in the following areas:
- Privacy
The updates ensure that all data sent to and from the charger is encrypted and protected to safeguard user privacy and mitigate the risk from cyberattacks.
As well as secure password protection, the regulations also mean that users are able to easily control what data they share. This has actually been a standard feature in all Indra smart chargers since start of sales in 2018.
- Security
The charger must be designed, manufactured and configured to provide appropriate protection against the risk of harm to, or disruption of, the electricity system and the relevant charge point. In other words, the smart charger must protect against external tampering or deliberate damage and be configured to ensure that it cannot disrupt the electrical grid, for example, by overloading it.
Indra has also added some additional protection features such as identifying if the charger casing has been opened, as well as implementing a logging and reporting mechanism for such events.
Future proof with Indra
Indra is committed to providing best-in-class hardware and software, as well as pushing the EV charging sector forward with its pioneering innovations. Smart PRO is a high quality and easy to use, with industry-leading reliability and smart charging features.
These include personal charging schedule, solar matching compatibility, a quick boost function, automatic software updates, house fuse protection and comes with a five-year warranty as standard. All this functionality is packaged in a minimalist, high quality design with unbeatable hardware reliability.
* Phase One, Smart Charge Points regulations
Below is a useful summary of the Phase One new smart charging regulations which came into force on 30 June.
Default off-peak charging – our software has always ensured that the vehicle is charged during the most cost-effective tariff and at the best time for the grid, but this now means that the charger will be automatically set to charge at off-peak hours. Of course, the Boost option is always available, just as it is now, to ensure you can always override the schedule if you need to immediate charge your vehicle.
Random delay
Our chargers already calculate the best charging schedule to complete the full charge by the specific time you set – and this can mean the vehicle charging doesn’t always start as soon as it’s plugged in. However, to avoid overloading the grid with too many homes demanding electric charge all at the same time, random delays of up to 10 minutes will now automatically be built into the start of any charging time.
