Australian state wants to control when people charge EVs at home

Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) in Queensland, Australia could soon have the switch on their home charging stations turned off during times when demand for electricity is high if a new proposal is passed.

State-owned power company Energy Queensland detailed changes in its Queensland Electricity Connection Manual, which state that all EV chargers above 20A and those that use single-phase power will need to be connected to a system that manages their use, reports The Guardian.

If passed, the energy supplier will have the ability to stop people from charging their electric cars when it wants.

It’s said that Queensland is the only jurisdiction in the world that is considering such an idea.

According to the documentation, controlling the supply of electricity to home chargers is meant to be a preventative for electrical blackouts caused by too much demand on the grid.

Energy Queensland has already faced backlash from multiple advocates for EVs, with the Clean Energy Council stating: “We are concerned the proposed changes to [electric vehicle supply equipment] installation may deter consumers from investing in [electric vehicles]”.

The Electric Vehicle Council also chimed in, saying that the proposal shows the state-owned power company doesn’t trust families to manage their own EV charging.