All government-funded chargepoints installed at people's homes must use innovative 'smart' technology from July 2019 to help reduce the strain of electric-car charging on the grid, the Department for Transport has announced.

It says all chargers installed from that deadline must be able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal, as outlined in the Road to Zero Strategy published earlier this year.

The statement released on Friday also confirmed that the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) will also continue in its current form with a grant of £500 per installation.

Smart charging: All government-funded chargers installed at homes will need to be 'smart' by July 2019, the DfT announced on Friday

The government is desperate for smart chargers to be installed as they reduce high peaks of electricity demands.

This minimises the cost - and strain - of electric vehicles to the electricity supply system, but should also help keep costs down for owners by making the most of off-peak charging periods.

Last month it was confirmed that regulator Ofgem had approved a three-year project that would assess the consequence of the increased demand in electric power through plug-in vehicles for the country's energy grid.

The review will be led by British Gas-owner Centrica and Uber and aims to measure the impact on cables and substations that deliver the UK's electricity, as the number of electric vehicles on the road gradually rises.

Alongside this the government also announced that they have maintained grants to install chargepoints at home and in the workplace at their current level of up to £500.

The Road to Zero Strategy - released in July of this year - suggested that the government could scrap the incentive entirely.

The document stated that it would review grant levels in March 2019 with a view to removing financial support for having plug-in points installed at homes as uptake increases and the market becomes self-sustaining.

Today's commitment to retain the same level of grant is welcome news and should help promote the purchase of plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles as part of the long-term plan to remove all petrol and diesel cars from sale in 2040.

The government said all chargers installed from that deadline must be able to be remotely accessed, and capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal

This innovative 'smart' technology should help to reduce the strain of electric-car charging on the grid

Back in October, the government did, however, reduce the grants for the purchase of new ultra-low emissions vehicles - a move that has been heavily criticsed by industry insiders who have questioned ministers' commitment to helping motorists switch to electric cars to reduce pollution.

The subsidy on the price of a new battery electric car (one that has electric power only) was reduced to £3,500 from £4,500 and grants for plug-in hybrids - previously £2,500 - were scrapped altogether.

As an added blow, the government introduced these reduced rates three weeks ahead of schedule after experiencing an increased number of applications for grants at the higher rate.

Speaking about the Friday's announcement, Jesse Norman, Roads Minister, said in the DfT statement: 'The government wants the UK to be the best place in the world to build and own an electric vehicle, and through leadership and innovation it is paving the way to a zero emission future.

'We have already supported the installation of over 100,000 home chargepoints.

'Now the measures announced today will give more people the opportunity to make the move to electric.'

Those who have a homecharger installed can continue to use a government grant of £500

Automotive Minister Richard Harrington added: 'Today’s measures will make it easier for consumers to move towards electric vehicles, helping us power towards a cleaner, greener future.

'Through our modern Industrial Strategy and Automotive Sector Deal, we are investing to ensure the UK is the leading destination for the innovation and manufacture of electric vehicle batteries and technologies to help all parts of the UK reap the economic benefits of these innovations.'

The EVHS has so far supported the delivery of 60,000 domestic chargepoints to consumers since it was introduced in 2014.

The extension of the £500 grant per home- or office-charger installed will be funded by the £1.5 billion investment in zero-emissions vehicles confirmed in the Road to Zero Strategy.

The Electric Vehicle Homecharging Scheme (EVHS) has already supported the delivery of 60,000 domestic chargepoints to consumers since 2014

James McKemey, head of insights at homecharge provider Pod Point head said all curent installations are already smart and wi-fi enabled and said the current level of electric vehicle uptake is unlikely to trouble the grid currently.

'While EV uptake is too low today to cause any notable grid challenges, smart charging will become essential from a grid operator perspective, to shift charging away from periods where the grid can be under strain,' he said.

'Our amalgamated data from thousands of users shows that home charging, left unmanaged, has a pronounced peak around 8pm, slightly later than the traditional early evening grid demand peak, but certainly exacerbating it.

'Our data also shows that the domestic chargepoints plugged in overnight are actively charging for approximately 25 per cent of that time. They are inactive for the remaining 75 per cent.

'These long, inactive periods demonstrate significant flexibility within the system. If you can tell when each driver is due to leave and how much charge they require, you could potentially fit 75 per cent more charging onto the grid within the overnight period.

'Making use of this flexibility within the system to balance out the peaks from charging will enable the mass adoption of electric vehicles without the need to carry out significant and expensive reinforcement of distribution networks,' he added.

'Furthermore, by acting as a significant sink of energy storage, smart charging electric cars will also allow the UK to make better use of intermittent renewable energy; charging not only when demand is low, but also when supply is high.

'So in a number of ways the mandating of smart charging is actually an important step towards ensuring the UK meet its obligations for carbon emission reductions. And ultimately meeting our climate change obligations will be good news for all of us.'