Alert: 1000s Of EV Chargers To Go Dumb

- Coming up on this week's news, the government doubles down on street charging of electric vehicles, despite eFIXX evelations about growing safety concerns. A court fines top electrical contractor NG Bailey after a worker is killed on a hospital project in Aberdeen. And the hunt is on to find the electrical firm with the punniest name. Welcome to Electrical News Weekly in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Whether you're listening in the van, onsite or down at the wholesale counter, I'm Joe Robinson and I've been through the best of the electrical industry news to save you the trouble. And if you think you've spotted the two words that I've been challenged to slip into this week's show, comment with them below for the chance to win a prize. The government is doubling down on the street charging of electric vehicles, despite our revelation last week that electrical experts have grave concerns over the plans. I can't help but think that the news is going to script writer Ray's head a little bit. I'm pretty sure Rishi Sunak doesn't watch ENW, Ray. Although if I'm wrong, please forgive me Prime Minister and drop, I don't know, a cactus emoji in the comments so we know it's you. Anyway, ministers have just approved a payment to local authorities of 185 million pounds to improve infrastructure to charge electric and hybrid vehicles. Part of the money will help councils promote cross-pavement charging so that EV owners without driveways can power up their vehicles. Nottinghamshire County Council has already provided three gullies in the pavement for 10 of its residents as part of a pilot scheme, and it's encouraging more drivers to apply. But last week, we exclusively revealed that electrical experts have grave reservations about the moves to street charging and some local authorities say they won't proceed without further guidance from the Department for Transport. The alarm stems from the risk of simultaneous contact between the body of an electric vehicle and another vehicle or street furniture, such as a metal lamppost or telecoms cabinet. Experts say that unless the two items are connected to the same distribution systems, there is a risk in a fault of a high potential difference between them. The IET Code of Practise and ECA guidance both require a simultaneous contact assessment before starting an instal. If you can't guarantee items are connected to similar distribution systems, then according to the guidance, you can't proceed with the instal. This week's cash for councils is in addition to last month's announcement of a 350 pound incentive for electricians to instal EV chargers, which crossed the pavement. We will, of course, keep you posted about any further developments in this issue. Still on electric vehicles UK charger brand myenergi is warning electricians who have installed plugin points with SIM card connections that the units could go dumb when the data contract runs out. This will leave the customer in the lurch as they will lose smart access to the cheapest tariffs. Most homeowners won't realise the contract has expired. myenergi says that instead of SIM connections, the trade should use Wi-Fi or Ethernet connectivity to future proof the installation. Co-founder Jordan Brompton says that manufacturers should be obliged to ensure complete transparency with their customers to prevent unnecessary confusion and unexpected expense in the future. Meanwhile, the trade continues to digest the full implications of other recent industry guidance, this time on batteries in homes. The headlines in the IET's Publicly Available Specification 63100 were that battery systems should never be placed in lofts and the wiring shouldn't be accessible by small hands. Overall, many electricians expressed surprise at what they see as the number and complexity of the restrictions relating to batteries. The authors of the report have spent the last week clarifying the documents and requirements and explaining their thinking. Consultant engineer and chairman of the IET Wiring Regulations Policy Committee, Graham Kenyon, says that a major issue for the committee was the question of the batteries becoming a victim of a fire rather than the cause of one. In terms of protecting the cabling, he says that it's not unusual to see gG NH type fuse holders, which can be simply pulled out while on load. Equally, monoblocks are often plugged together using Amphenol type press and pull battery terminals, which can also be opened up while on load. The trade has also flagged up the fact that the guidance only covers homes of 200 square metres and under. Here the authors say this should not be taken to employ that battery installation is safe in the attic in a larger house. Rather that there were specific agreed limitations for this edition of the standard. The full document is freely available to installers and I've popped a link in the show notes where you can download the PDF. The new standard is, however, unlikely to slow the spectacular growth in battery systems. In fact, 2023 saw a 1,700% increase in annual battery storage installations compared to the previous year. This week, the NICEIC urged its members to upskill so that the trade can cope with the demand. The organization's technical director, Paul Collins, said that batteries were a huge new revenue opportunity for electricians. The NICEIC has introduced a new qualification on energy storage, which covers the design, installation, and commissioning of battery systems. The two and a half day EAL-accredited qualification complements the organization's popular four-day solar qualification. Other qualifications are available as they say, and I've put the links to some of the major training organisations in the show notes. In other news, a court has fined one of the UK's top electrical contracting firms after a worker was killed on a hospital project in Aberdeen. NG Bailey was fined 135,000 pounds by Aberdeen Sheriff Court after subcontractor Alistair Hutton lost his life while working on the construction of the Baird Family Hospital in Aberdeen in January last year. Hutton had been navigating a cherry picker along an unfinished corridor at the site when his head struck a metal lintel. The 51-year-old died at the scene. A health and safety executive probe found that NG Bailey had failed to consider overhead obstruction on the site. The company pleaded guilty to breaching sections three and 33 of the Health and Safety Act. In addition to the fine, NG Bailey was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of 10,000 pounds. As always, our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Mr. Hutton. Our deepest condolences to you. Now, a campaign has been launched to ban the sale of used power tools at car boot sales in markets. It's being organised by tradespeople who have suffered thefts from their vans. They say that by not outlawing the sale, the government is allowing tool thieves a platform to sell their stolen goods for quick money. They're also demanding a 10,000 pound fine for those caught selling the items and for organisers of car boot sales or markets where power tools are sold. As this episode went to broadcast, the petition had attracted almost 18,000 signatures. If they can get to 100,000, the government will be compelled to respond within three days, and the issue will be considered for debate in parliament. And finally, a competition has been launched to find the UK's funniest small company name. Specialist insurer Simply Business is launching its annual hunt for a standout brand. Now in its third year, the competition celebrates the wit, creativity, and humour of Britain's small business owners. Small to medium-sized enterprise owners, such as electrical contractors have the opportunity to win the coveted title and a 2,500 pound prize. The winner will be chosen by public vote. Small businesses can enter the competition now. Entries close on the 25th of April 2024. Names that we've come across include Watts up Electric, Alex Trician from a contractor called Alex obviously. Canduit Electrical. I really like that one. And Current Affairs. If like us, you're as passionate as a passion fruit about wordplay, then pop your punning proposals in the comments below. The link to the official competition is in the show notes. And our usual reminder that we're in the market for your stories, your projects, and your recommendations as we'd like to share them with the wider eFIXX community. Now we're in April, we're focusing on cables and containment and industrial circuit protection. So send us pictures of your instals or let us know if you've come across any new kit that's making your job easier. The easiest way to get that to us is to email us admin.eFIXX.co uk. And just before we get to your favourite bit of the show where I reveal last week's challenge words and winners, we want to thank our premium partners. We couldn't make the news without you. First up, they're the people who've created the Swiss Army Knife of solar inverters, along with all-weather batteries, very much the Boy Scouts of the solar industry, it's Sunsynk. Now, if you want to get smart, but don't know where to start, relax. Whether you need whole home entertainment, commercial grade infrastructure, or anything in between, Snap One offers countless solutions for connected homes and businesses. With their high-quality and reliable EV charging equipment and industry-leading customer care, you could say they're leading the EV-lution, it's Hydro EVC. And with over 35 years of manufacturing and supplying components to the electrical industry, from connectors to terminal blocks through glands and enclosures, you could say they're making all the right connections, it's Hylec-APL. The best thing to come out of Yorkshire since stainless steel, the home of EV-Ultra and other groundbreaking and quality products, it's Doncaster Cables. And if you want a lesson on how to reinvent a commodity product into a stylish but discreet feature, then look no further than D-Line trunking. If you want to get your cables organised and tidied away in any situation, they've got a solution. With an incredible range of equipment from EV charge points through industrial sockets and switches to kit for explosive areas, plus they supplied gear for a Campari factory, so they'll always have a place in my heart, it's SCAME. Big thanks to you all. We really appreciate your ongoing support for the news. If you think you know the words I've smuggled into this week's show, pop your guess into the comments. We'll take all the correct guesses and select one at random to be the winner of an eFIXX goodie bag prize. Answers submitted after about lunchtime on the Thursday after release will not be entered into the draw. Last week's words were martian and operatic, and we hit a new record for correct entries on YouTube. Unfortunately, there weren't any correct answers on LinkedIn and Facebook. You must try harder, those of you on those platforms. Anyway, we put all of your names into an electronic hat and the first one to be plucked out as a winner was friend of the show and serial commenter orielzob2821. So well done to you. Make sure you click the Get Involved link in the show notes to claim your prize. Thanks for listening to this episode of Electrical News Weekly in association with Solar Trade Sales, your easy one-stop shop for all things solar. Make sure you subscribe to receive the next update. Thanks for listening and until next time, have a great week. Stay safe out there. And remember, there's no such thing as a torque-calibrated arm.