Are there Government Grants For Car Charging Points For Businesses?

Are there Government Grants For Car Charging Points For Businesses?

If you run a business, charity or public sector organisation in the UK, you may be wondering if there are any government grants available to help you reduce the cost of electric car charging points for your businesses.

Government grants can be a fantastic option for those wanting to embrace clean energy without breaking the bank. These grants are typically offered as incentives to encourage the transition to sustainable practices, including adopting renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and electric vehicles.

In this article, we’ll dive into the government grants for car charging points for businesses so that you can make an informed decision on how to take your next steps toward being a carbon-neutral business.

The Benefits Of EV Charging Points For Businesses

Installing car charging points for businesses not only supports the growing electric vehicle market but also offers tangible benefits in terms of customer engagement, revenue generation, and environmental impact. Some of the key benefits include:

  • Demonstrating corporate social responsibility (CSR): By investing in EV charging infrastructure, your business demonstrates a commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and supporting a greener future, aligning with CSR objectives.
  • Attracting customers and employees: Having EV charging points at your business can attract environmentally conscious customers and employees who drive electric vehicles. It shows your commitment to sustainability and provides a convenient service for EV owners, potentially increasing foot traffic and loyalty.
  • Future-proofing your business: As the transition to electric vehicles accelerates, having charging points in place positions your business for the future and ensures you remain relevant in a changing automotive landscape.
  • Contributing to a cleaner environment: Supporting electric mobility reduces carbon emissions and air pollution, contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment.

Overall, there are many benefits to installing EV charge points at your place of work. From improving your brand image to supporting the government in its efforts to reach carbon neutrality, there are plenty of reasons to embrace this new technology.

UK Government Grants For EV Charging Points 2023

Although installing EV charging points at your business has numerous benefits, it can be an expensive endeavour. Fortunately, a range of UK Government grants are available to help you cover the cost of charging points and embrace sustainable energy at work. Some of the most notable schemes open in 2023 include:

The Workplace Charging Scheme

The Workplace Charging Scheme (also known as WCS) is a scheme created by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to help introduce EV charging points to workplaces across the UK.

It is a voucher-based scheme that aims to provide financial support towards purchasing and installing electric vehicle charge points for businesses, charities and public sector organisations.

What Can I Get With The Workplace Charging Scheme?

The WCS has numerous benefits that make it a great scheme for those looking to introduce EV charging options to their business. With the help of the WCS, you can receive:

  • Reduced purchase and installation costs of new workplace charging stations by 75%. This means your total cost per socket is capped at £350.
  • Each individual business can claim up to 40 sockets or 20 double socket charge points.

After issuing the voucher, you can only claim the WCS for the new charge points installed.

Am I Eligible For The Workplace Charging Scheme?

To qualify for the WCS, you must meet certain criteria. These eligibility factors have been implemented to ensure that government funding goes to registered businesses and makes a greater impact. To apply for the grant, you must:

  • Be A Registered Organisation: Your organisation must be a registered charity, a business entity, or a public sector organisation.
  • Be A Public Authority Or Have Received Limited Public Support: You must either fall under the category of a public authority, which includes government departments, agencies, armed forces, local governments, the NHS, and emergency services. If you are a private business, you should have received less than €200,000 (£171,634) of public support in the last three financial years to meet the aid requirements.
  • Show Intent to Encourage EV Uptake: You should demonstrate a clear need for EV charging points and express a commitment to promote electric vehicle adoption among your staff.
  • Be In The Right Location: The sites where the EV charge points will be installed must be in England, Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland.
  • Have Dedicated Off-street Parking: The sites must provide dedicated off-street parking spaces exclusively reserved for employee use. Charging stations can only be installed in private car parks or parking facilities.
  • Show Ownership or Written Consent: You must either own the property where the charging points will be installed or obtain written consent from the landlord to install the EV charge points on all sites listed in your application form.

What Type Of Businesses Are Not Eligible?

Apart from failing to meet the above criteria, a few more things could prevent you from receiving the grant you want. These include factors such as:

  • If your parking facilities are part of a domestic property and are not at the primary place of work. For domestic properties, you should explore the EVHS grant.
  • If you have already claimed a grant. For example, if your business has grown in a domestic property, but you already have an EVHS grant, you may not be eligible.
  • If your parking facilities are for customer use and not staff only.
  • If your parking facilities are not designated for your business. For example, if you share a car park with multiple other companies.
  • If you plan to build a car park but have not yet done it. You must already have available parking facilities before you apply.

OZEV are strict about only giving funding to businesses that meet all of their criteria, so be sure to check through the fine print before you spend time filing an application.

How Do I Apply For The Workplace Charging Scheme?

There are a few key steps you will need to follow to apply for the workplace charging scheme. These include:

  1. Register Interest: Visit the official UK Gov website or the OZEV website to register your interest in the grant. This will help you stay current with any developments about the scheme.
  2. Choose an OZEV-Approved Supplier: You must choose an OZEV-approved supplier to get your charging points. OZEV provide a list on their website to help you do this. This ensures that the charging points you choose meet the quality standards for the grant, ensuring longevity.
  3. Complete the Application: Work with the chosen supplier to complete the grant application process. The application will require details about your business, the number of charging points you plan to install, and the sites where they will be located. You will need to provide proof of eligibility.
  4. Eligibility Check: OZEV will review your application to ensure that your business meets the eligibility criteria for the grant.
  5. Grant Approval: If successful, you will receive approval for the grant.
  6. Installation and Claim: Once you have received grant approval, you can work with the approved supplier to install the EV charging points. After installation, you can claim the grant amount from OZEV by providing the necessary documentation and evidence.

It is important to remember that this process may change depending on demand or processing changes. Ensure you register your interest to get updates straight to your inbox.

What Happens Once You Get Your Grant?

Once you get your grant, you can arrange the installation of your new charge points. You must keep in mind that there are some ongoing commitments to the scheme; for example, you must commit to maintaining your charge points for at least three years and must retain all paperwork and documentation about the installation for three years as well.

The EV Infrastructure Grant For Staff And Fleets

You might be eligible for the EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets if you run a small to medium-sized business.

The EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets offers financial support for businesses to develop the necessary infrastructure for charge points, including installing charge points and supporting facilities.

This grant alleviates the burden of installing all charge points immediately, providing businesses with the flexibility to plan for the future. By creating the infrastructure, they can lay the groundwork for future charge point installations, enabling seamless expansion.

Who Is Eligible For The EV Infrastructure Grant?

This EV infrastructure grant is for small and medium-sized businesses that want to install EV charge points on their properties. To qualify for the grant, you must:

  • Be registered at Companies House. If you are not, you must be VAT registered with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
  • Have 249 employees or less. This grant is only for smaller businesses.
  • Must satisfy state aid requirements. Your businesses must have received – or have currently pending at the time of application – less than £200,000 of public support in the past three financial years. The government cannot offer grants that already receive high amounts of public funding.
  • The installation site must be in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
  • The car park must have at least five parking spaces that are clearly marked. If parking spaces are shared with another company, or there are no clear boundaries, access rights and permissions must be agreed by all parties using legally binding arrangements.

If you meet the above criteria, you can go ahead and apply for the grant. Contact your local council for more information if you are still determining whether your business is eligible.

Charging Infrastructure Under The Grant

The EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets offers comprehensive coverage for the installation costs of necessary charge points and potential future expansions.

The grant facilitates the establishment of a robust charging infrastructure, ensuring seamless operations and enabling the possibility of adding more charge points as needed. The minimum requirements for the charging infrastructure include, but are not limited to:

  • A dedicated, safe, unobstructed route for electrical cabling from the electrical supply point to the installed charge points and any future connection locations.
  • A new connection at a metered electrical supply point, such as a consumer unit or feeder pillar.
  • Provisions to facilitate the safe installation of an electric vehicle charge point.

As an essential aspect of the charging infrastructure, it is imperative to establish a dedicated and secure pathway from the electrical supply point. This unobstructed route ensures smooth provision for all required electrical cabling to reach each identified future connection location.

By implementing this approach, builders will not need to be involved in the electrical cabling installation process, streamlining the setup and ensuring a safe and efficient charging network.

For full details of electrical and infrastructure requirements needed to fulfil the grant, take a look at the full Government guidelines.

Explore EV Charging Options With Smartly

All the EV Chargers on our website are approved for installation by OZEV, meaning you can access them under both the Workplace Charge Scheme (WCS) and the EV Infrastructure Grant.

As EV charging experts, we offer a range of dynamic EV charging options that could work for your business. Whether you’re looking for charging points compatible with government grants or shopping independently for a domestic property, we have plenty of options to fit your charging needs.

With standard, rapid and DC charging options available in our store, we have something to suit every electric vehicle and every business’s demands.

Get In Touch With Us Today

Want to learn more about how you can embrace EV charging at your place of work? Our Smartly charging experts will be happy to speak to you about what we offer and how you can best utilise government grants to get what you need.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you reach carbon neutrality at your workplace.

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