Roughly 1 in 7 new car sales in the UK are electric or plug-in hybrid and while the 2030 ban of petrol and diesel car sales may seem a way off, more and more people are choosing an electric vehicle as their next purchase.
To facilitate this switch more investment in charging infrastructure is needed. Commercial landlords, and their tenants, are now under pressure to accommodate EVs by providing charging points at their existing and new developments.
As new regulations setting out minimum standards for charge points came into force on 30 June 2022, our commercial property expert Rachel Jones provides this advice:
Landlords and tenants will both need to be mindful of the impact regulations have when dealing with the roll out of EV charging infrastructure.
'As well as practical considerations for the actual installation works (e.g. who undertakes responsibility for the work, where the points will be located etc.), there will need to be consideration of the relationship formed with the charging point operator (whether to lease space to a charging point operator or enter into a commercial arrangement and how that arrangement is to be documented).
'The terms of any existing leases in situ will need to be considered along with any further/additional documentation that may be required to accommodate and provide suitably for EV charging points. This could include a tenant needing a licence for alterations, or wayleaves between the landlord, tenant and local distribution network for extra grid connections.
'EV charging provides landlords with an opportunity to make their developments more desirable and sustainable, but to futureproof any new commitments it is important to seek specialist legal advice.'
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