Made 2 Measure: how does the EV charging point amendment affect me?

The technical team at Megger answer the latest equipment-related query.

You ask:

I’ve heard that there’s been an amendment to the IET Wiring Regulations that relates to electric vehicle (EV) charging points. How will this affect me?

We say:

Amendment 1:2020 to the 18^th Edition of the IET Wiring Regulations was published on 1^st February. It amends Section 722 of the regulations and will only affect you directly if you’re involved with the installation, testing or maintenance of EV charge points. The main changes relate to protection against electric shock and include requirements for PME systems and additional earthing electrodes. The new regulations give more flexibility on installing earth rods and associated protection devices, and also provide additional guidance on isolation, switching and the selection of RCDs to provide the required level of protection.

There are also additional requirements relating to the resistance of earth electrodes, so if you work on or considering working on EV charge points, you’ll need to be able to measure this. Megger offers dedicated earth resistance measuring instruments such as the DET3TC, but you may also want to consider Megger’s latest MFT1741+ multifunction installation tester. This includes earth testing facilities, along with an EV charge point test setting for the 6 mA DC test and a new Confidence Meter feature, that makes loop testing faster, easier and more convenient.