Latest legal developments in Automotive

There have been a number of new developments in the automotive field over the last month. We highlight below some of the main legal developments in automotive in the UK that have happened recently, as well as a look at what is to come:

1. June 2022: The Law Commission has published a consultation on the operation of vehicles remotely.
2. 1st June 2022: New Vertical Block Exemption Regulation (“VBER”) introduced adjusting the scope of the safe harbour for competition law purposes.
3. 1st June 2022: Councils across England & Wales given new powers to punish traffic offences, like yellow box misuse, illegal u-turns or driving the wrong way down a one way street.
4. 15th June 2022: All new residential homes and buildings required to have an electric vehicle charging point installed (estimated to mean up to 145,000 new charging points each year), taking pressure off local authorities to expand EV charging infrastructure in town centres.
5. 16th June 2022: The government intends to reform the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to (a) cut costs for businesses and (b) simplify rules for consumers, with a consultation to be published later in the year.
6. 30th June 2022: Under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021, any person or business offering or advertising an EV charge point for sale or hire or by exchange under warranty, must now ensure they have smart charging capabilities.
7. 6th July 2022: Mandatory speed limiting technology (Intelligent Speed Assist – “ISA”) must be fitted to all new cars across Europe.

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