The Workplace Charging Scheme – Extension and Eligibility

The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) has been extended to even more businesses, in order to create convenient charging infrastructure for more employees and customers – who drive electric vehicles. With more workplaces being added to the UK government’s list, the installation of charging infrastructure is set to be available for business in nearly all sectors. As more drivers trade in their petrol and diesel vehicles for electric cars, it’s important that businesses consider having charging infrastructure installed on their premises. In this article we will help clarify what you need to know about this incentive, who is eligible to apply after the scheme, and how you go about getting a charger installed.

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme?

The Workplace Charging Scheme is a UK government voucher-based grant, created to help businesses with the costs of installation of EV charging infrastructure on their premises. This scheme is one part of the government’s plan to help drivers fully transition from fuelled vehicles to electric vehicles by 2040. The WCS grant offers businesses up to 75% of the installation costs, with £350 provided per charging socket. This is limited to a maximum of 40 sockets per business. If a business owns 40 different sites, then the grant would apply to 1 socket being installed per business site. This incentive is currently available to businesses in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, and is managed by OZEV and the DVLA.

How has the Workplace Charging Scheme changed?

After 1st April 2022, all larger businesses and public sector businesses can continue to apply for the scheme. However, the WCS has been extended to smaller businesses also. The scheme began by being made available to bigger businesses and charities with larger fleets with more employees, although now the government has also extended this grant to small accommodation businesses and charities, for both staff and customers. All eligible small businesses must have 249 or less employees in order to apply. The government’s list of small accommodation businesses include:

• Hotels
• Bed & Breakfasts
• Holiday Accommodations
• Camping Grounds
• Trailer Parks/Caravan Sites
• Recreational Vehicle Parks

Is my workplace eligible for the Workplace Charging Scheme grant?

All businesses that match the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• Be a registered business, charity, or public organisation.
• Located in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
• Permission to install charging infrastructure on site (such as consent from the landlord on rented premises).
• Have off-street parking facilities for staff and fleet (such as a company car park).
• Ensure EV’s can be charged safely with a good access area including accessible space for each charging socket.
• Must have an electric power supply of at least 3kW.
• One charging socket per parking space.

How do I apply to have an EV charger installed at my workplace?

In order to have an electric vehicle charger installed at your workplace, you must complete and return the application form provided on the government’s website. When your application has been processed, all successful applicants will then receive a voucher code by email – which is valid for six months from the date of issue. You will then give this voucher to an authorised installer, and the cost of the grant will be deducted from your final invoice. You can find a list of authorised OZEV installers here.

Who is responsible for maintaining the charging points?

It is the responsibility of the business to ensure that the charging point is maintained. All businesses that apply for the WCS grant for EV workplace charging, are legally required to ensure that regular services and maintenance is carried out on the charge point for a minimum of 3 years. The OZEV authorised installer will manage the EV charging points installed at your workplace, and a three year warranty should be taken out by the business upon installation. This helps cover the costs of parts and work carried out on the charging infrastructure, as and when required.

What is the most common charging point to have installed?

The most common charging point to have installed at a business is the wall-mounted Type 2 7kW charger, as this charging point fits a lot of the most popular electric vehicles, and will charge your car within the space of a regular eight-hour shift. Some businesses may decide to install a faster 22kW charging point, or even a rapid-charging point. The rapid-chargers come at a higher expense, however both mode 3 and mode 4 chargers are available as part of this grant, so it depends on what the business requires.

What is the cost of a workplace EV charging point?

It all depends on the power outage, for instance a 7kW commercial charging point could typically cost on average between £1000 and £4000. A 22kW charging point would cost double or three times as much as a 7kW, and a rapid charger is the most expensive to install, with average costs between £20,000 to £40,000, but as mode 4 chargers are included as part of the grant the good news is that a fraction of this cost will be covered. The overall quote will of course depend on the company installing the charging point, calculated by the cost of the infrastructure, and the installation costs. The extension of the government’s WCS grant to small accommodation businesses means that more premises will now be fitted with the charging infrastructure we need. As more workplaces make the switch, employees and customers will appreciate the convenience of being able to charge their cars while they are out and about, as we prepare to move into a new era of sustainability and innovation. If your business has taken advantage of this grant why not check out our range of EV charging cables.