Our Guide To The Workplace Charging Scheme & The Benefits To Your Business
We all know the environmental benefits of using electric vehicles (EV). Demand for EVs is soaring. For businesses with sustainability goals, installing electric vehicle chargepoints could be the next step towards reaching those environmental targets. But did you know that you can reduce the upfront costs of installing electric car charging points for your business?
This is our comprehensive guide to the Workplace Charging Scheme – how it works and how it can save money for your business.
What is the Workplace Charging Scheme?
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a government initiative to promote electric vehicle usage. It’s offered by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). Their aim is to encourage the uptake of electrical vehicles amongst businesses and their employees, including workplace EVs.
Through the WCS, your business could can get a grant to fund the installation of electric vehicle chargepoint sockets at your premises. Eligible businesses get up to 75% of the upfront cost of buying and installing electric vehicle chargepoints. That’s an incredible saving!
What are the benefits of electric vehicle chargepoints for businesses?
Installing EV chargepoints has multiple benefits for you as a business owner, your employees and customers, as well as the environment.
Offset carbon emissions: providing renewable energy solutions can reduce your carbon emissions and contribute to a greener planet.
Brand reputation: it visibly shows your company’s commitment to sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Customer service: providing convenient electric vehicle charge points for customer use increases customer satisfaction and loyalty, as well as potentially attracting new customers.
Cost savings: reduce the ongoing fuel and maintenance costs of running non-EV business vehicles.
Additional revenue stream: you could monetise your EV charging points. By setting tariffs and billing per session, you can generate a steady revenue stream.
Employee perk: on-site EV chargers support and reward your employees who drive electric vehicles. It’s so convenient to charge your EV from your parking space while you’re at work. Plus, those with company cars can reduce their ‘benefit in kind’ tax (electricity isn’t classed as a vehicle fuel by HMRC).
What will the WCS fund?
Number of sockets: up to 40 electric vehicle chargepoint sockets per applicant. That’s per applicant, not per site. You could install all 40 at one site or share the total across multiple locations.
Contribution towards total costs: you get 75% of the total purchase and installation costs for your EV chargepoints (including VAT). The cap is a maximum of £350 per socket.
What are the eligibility criteria for the Workplace Charging Scheme?
There are specific boxes that you need to tick in order to secure funding via the WCS. Firstly, you need to be based in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands and Isle of Man are excluded from this scheme currently.
You must be a:
- Business
- Charity
- Public sector organisation (public authority)
- Small accommodation business (such as a hotel, holiday or short-stay accommodation, trailer park or campsite).
It’s important to note that state-funded education institutions fall under a separate scheme and residential properties have the EV Chargepoint Grant.
Your business location:
- Needs to be owned by the business. If not, you must have the consent of the landlord/owner to install chargepoints.
- Needs to have dedicated off-street parking facilities with enough space to install the chargepoints.
- Must be listed at Companies House or recorded on your business rate bill if you work from home and your home is a registered business.
- Needs a site survey by an authorised installer before you apply for funding.
- Must have the chargepoints installed by an OZEV-authorised installer.
You could use this scheme in conjunction with the EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets. The two grants can apply to the same site, but not the same chargepoints.
Find full details on the government’s Workplace Charging Scheme webpages
The Workplace Charging Scheme application process
The scheme works like this:
- Complete and submit the online application form
- Successful applicants will receive a voucher code via email within five working days.
- You can use that voucher code with any OZEV-authorised commercial chargepoint installer.
- You don’t claim the grant, your authorised installer does once the chargepoints have been installed at your location. They’ll deduct the grant from your final invoice.
- Within 180 days of the voucher code being issued, the chargepoints must be installed and the grant claimed from OZEV.
This grant is only guaranteed until the end of this financial year (31st March 2025), so applications need to be submitted before then.
Installation of electric vehicle chargepoints
As trusted providers of this installation service, we can answer the questions we’re often asked about the process.
How many EV chargers can be installed? This is down to the available parking space at your premises and having sufficient electricity supply to charge the electric vehicles.
Worried about your available space? We have plenty of experience in finding innovative solutions to suit your parking facilities and needs.
What about the charging speed? We can supply and install chargepoints of various charging speeds – standard, rapid chargers or even ultra rapid charging points.
Take advantage of the Workplace Charging Scheme now!
Time is running out on the WCS. It may not be extended beyond this financial year. Get your application in soon to meet the 31st March 2025 deadline.
There are so many benefits to installing EV charging points at your business – for you, your employees, your customers and the environment.
We’re OZEV authorised commercial chargepoint installers. Learn more about our EV charging point installation services, please contact us today.