Electrical vehicle charger installation need new skills
The Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) says that the EV infrastructure report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) should have highlighted the need to promote higher standards of training and competence for electricians involved in the EV charging roll-out

Maintaining electrical standards 

While calls for a new OfCharge watchdog are generally welcomed there is concern that the new report doesn’t emphasise the need to train electricians to meet the demands of creating a major new national network of vehicle charging points. There are also worries that current training isn’t overseen by a competent national body and there isn’t a recognised framework of competencies and qualifications. 
 

Rapid expansion 

With the rapid expansion of the network public safety might not be properly embedded in our drive to achieve Net Zero Carbon targets by 2050. 
 
The Skills 4 Climate industry survey report says that almost 9 out of 10 engineering service contractors support a green economic recovery following the pandemic. However, just under half said there wasn’t enough industry training available to develop green skills. Nearly three quarters said they supported reduced VAT on energy-related activity and a majority wanted the government to invest more heavily in technical education. 
 

A charging point lottery 

The government and local authorities are also being urged to take action about the potential risk of a ‘postcode lottery’, with patchy implementation of national plans for publicly available charge points. 
 
In late 2021 a Freedom of Information request made by the ECA showed that two thirds of local authorities don’t yet have plans in place for public EV charge points and almost half of them don’t currently operate any. A further six out of 10 said they have no funds earmarked for future EV charging infrastructure. 
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