Electric vehicle (EV) charging points at British homes and offices will be preset to switch off for nine hours every day to prevent grid congestion that could lead to blackouts. 

According to The Times, new regulations will come into force in May next year and will see domestic and business EV chargers to be automatically set not to function from 8am to 11am and from 4pm to 11pm.

Public EV charging infrastructure and rapid chargers will reportedly be exempt from these new rules.

The government is also allegedly considering imposing a “randomised delay” of up to 30 minutes to avoid pressure on the grid.

A DfT spokesperson said: “This law will ensure all private chargepoints can support smart charging, allowing consumers to save money on their energy bills and use clean, renewable energy when it is abundant and you will still be able to charge your EV at peak times if needed.

“Smart charging also benefits the energy system, by reducing the need for ugraded and new power generation to meet demands from EVs.”