When should the First Periodic inspect of an EVSE be?

When should the First Periodic inspect of an EVSE be?

Points to consider
Location Indoors or outdoors
Domestic Dwelling vs commercial or industrial
Single Phase vs 3 phase.
What the MI recommends

Personally for the average Domestic Dwelling I think it needs to be about 3 years for the following reasons


- Common install location being outside
- Wear and tear of EVSE and leads to the EV
- Firmware updates
- Earthing and PEN detection of current install
- Incorrect RCD or no RCD fitted at all or incorrect type.  Some were fitted with type AC trip characteristics..  (this may be contentious as the Standard practice or MI at the time are have been different to now)
- Solar PV may have been fitted to the system after the EVSE install, this may now need to be checked for Bi-Diractional RCD again this may have been installed with a Type AC or A RCD
- The possibility of the EVSE unit itself had been replaced due to a fault or the customer wanted a different unit




As always please be polite and respectful in this purely academic debate.  Come on everybody let’s help inspire the future.

  • While they are all good points the designer should set the first inspection and test , after that the inspector should use engineering judgment to set  the next eicr.

  • During the period when government grants were available for domestic installations, I was fairly busy in the installation of domestic EV chargers. As part of my responsibilities, I completed the EIC and registered the installations under Part P. For these certificates, I used a 10-year period.

  • the designer should set the first inspection and test , after that the inspector should use engineering judgment to set  the next eicr.

    Taking into account manufacturer's instructions, of course ... the manufacturer may, after all, have a recommended interval for safety check, or servicing?

  • Who designs the EVSE in the first place? Thinking

  • Electrical Installation Condition Report, or In-service Inspection and Testing of Electrical Equipment (previously known as PAT), or both?

  • The design process for the install could be split down into 2 or 3 main types.
    Sole trader electrician where they will be the Design, installer and the commissioning agent.

    Employed electricanin or sub-contractor by a larger company following the design specification done by another person at that company who probably uses some Design software like Electrical Om (other brands are available)

    3rd party company does the design spec and then it is tenders out to the cheapest installer on a rinse and repeat system.  Sometimes the design company will put a vast amount of limitations and caveats into the contract as they will not be carrying out the final install.  

    I would like to think that the circuit designers from any of the above would refer to the MI (Manufactureres Instructions) and make sound engineering judjement.  However history has shown that some MI can be inaccurate at the time or proved to be laking engineering judjement at a later date.  As an example some manufacturers stated up until recently that their EVSE had built in RCD protection, but now they admit that their RCD protection does not meet the relevant BS (British Standards) thus some EVSE installs are needing to be altered.  

  • As the EV and EVSE market matures do you think that 10 years should be shortened down? 

  • Tangent question.  What if the EVSE was installed when the inbound supply was TNS then at a later date it becomes TNCS due to DNO repairs?

  • Personally for the average Domestic Dwelling I think it needs to be about 3 years for the following reasons


    - Common install location being outside
    - Wear and tear of EVSE and leads to the EV
    - Firmware updates
    - Earthing and PEN detection of current install
    - Incorrect RCD or no RCD fitted at all or incorrect type.  Some were fitted with type AC trip characteristics..  (this may be contentious as the Standard practice or MI at the time are have been different to now)
    - Solar PV may have been fitted to the system after the EVSE install, this may now need to be checked for Bi-Diractional RCD again this may have been installed with a Type AC or A RCD
    - The possibility of the EVSE unit itself had been replaced due to a fault or the customer wanted a different unit

    My view on each of these for a domestic install:

    - Common install location being outside

    •  So, are we saying original equipment was not suited to the installation environment?
    • We have outdoor equipment all the time (including heat pumps now) ... best move an electrician in full time?

    - Wear and tear of EVSE and leads to the EV

    • Is the equipment not fit-for-purpose?
    • In general, for domestic and Mode 3 in commercial/industrial private parking (but not public car park and on-street) charging points, tethered charging equipment is no longer permitted in England and Scotland (Part S in England, Buildings Scotland Technical Handbooks in Scotland all require Mode 3 charging equipment with socket-outlet) ... so the plugs and leads become the user's responsibility and can be easily replaced. They are not part of the installation (although the socket-outlet would be). Having said that, periodic to "check socket-outlet" seems OTT to me ... user calls when it's broken or worn - we do have equipment/socket-outlets that are subject to more frequent connection/disconnection than domestic EVSE?

    - Firmware updates

    • Only a BS 7671 issue if it affects operation of a protective device such as the RDC-DD ... but that raises 1000s of questions in my head already, such as 'when is it a product recall or major safety issue'?
    • Surely waiting until EICR time to update firmware is not always acceptable? Certainly wouldn't be for me ...

    - Earthing and PEN detection of current install

    • Is the equipment not fit-for-purpose?

    - Incorrect RCD or no RCD fitted at all or incorrect type.  Some were fitted with type AC trip characteristics..  (this may be contentious as the Standard practice or MI at the time are have been different to now)

    • Could apply to any installation ... 'no RCD' is not always a 'Code 1' or 'Code 2' issue according to BPG4, so that really sets the scene? (Neither EV nor EVSE would be likely to be classed as Mobile Equipment as defined in BS 7671, so not covered by any of the C2 cases in current BPG4 Issue 7 and would therefore be C3 according to that publication)?

    - Solar PV may have been fitted to the system after the EVSE install, this may now need to be checked for Bi-Diractional RCD again this may have been installed with a Type AC or A RCD

    • Nothing to do with EVSE ... and could affect any installation.
    • How does the Solar PV RCD affect safety of the EVSE?

    - The possibility of the EVSE unit itself had been replaced due to a fault or the customer wanted a different unit

    • Then there should be a MWC for the newly installed EVSE, and you could then say that, from the EVSE perspective,  the timer starts again? Seems like a matter for the installation owner?
  • In the average domestic installation, you can put any figure you like.  The actual inspection date will be somewhere between when the house is next sold, and never.