Install vehicle chargepoints

With the rising number of electric vehicles in use, it makes sense to check if installing chargepoints is right for your business.

If you’re making certain types of renovations, installing them is now required.

To do so you need parking spaces and sufficient electrical service for the type of charging required. Grants are available to help.

Work out if you need chargepoints
Calculate the charge time of an EV
Check if your premises is suitable for chargepoints
Check if chargepoints are required
Calculate the cost of installing chargepoints
Switch your energy tariff and save
Get tax benefits
Get finance and support

Work out if you need chargepoints

If you’re considering switching your fleet to electric vehicles you will need to figure out a plan to charge them.

Charging needs vary based on:

the size and type of vehicle – larger EVs have more battery capacity and require more time and money to charge
your business operations – vehicles that sit idle can be charged during the work day or overnight
your electrical system – the more power you have available the faster vehicles charge

Get started by calculating typical daily total mileage for your vehicle or fleet. If the total exceeds the range of your EV, then charge time would need to be part of the working day.

Work out if this is best done at a central worksite, at employees’ homes or using the network of publicly available chargers.

Natural downtime in the operation of a fleet provides a chance to charge EVs with no change to driver behaviour.

For more information on charging at a depot, drivers’ homes and on the rapid charging network, visit the Energy Saving Trust’s ‘Charging your business’s electric vehicles’.

Calculate the charge time of an EV

Chargepoints are rated in kW. The most common categories are:

Slow

3.5kW and 7kW power
4-8 hours to fully recharge, depending on vehicle
provide 10-25 miles of range per hour
useful if EVs are parked for a long time or overnight

Fast

7-22kW (most are 22kW)
2-4 hours to fully recharge, depending on the vehicle
provide around 75 miles of range per hour
useful if EVs are parked for a few hours (eg shopping centres)

Rapid

between 43-50kW (most are 50kW)
25-40 minutes for 80% recharge, depending on the vehicle
provide around 100 miles of range in half an hour
useful if EVs parked for a quick break (eg service stations)

Ultra-rapid

over 50kW (most are 100kW or 150kW)
provide around 200 miles of range in half an hour
useful if EVs need to refuel without a break

Check if your premises is suitable for chargepoints

To install EV chargers at your workplace or home you need:

to own the premises or have landlord permission
off-street parking in a driveway or a car park
electrical capacity to add the load created by charging
access to electricity from parking spots

If you are leasing, EV chargepoint installation may be in your contract. Consider future-proofing any new lease to ensure that provision to create chargepoints is included upfront to clarify costs and save renegotiation.

Get a quote from your local Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to determine the feasibility of putting in chargepoints. This is best done before you buy an EV so you can work out the logistics of charging.

Independent Connections Providers (ICP)s or Independent Distribution Network Operators (IDNO)s can carry out some of the work (referred to as Contestable Work in your quotation) when getting a connection. Using an IDNO can help bring down costs.

An installer will find out how many chargepoints your site can support. Most locations can support a single 7kW charger without electrical upgrades.

If you need electrical service improvements it makes sense to get started as soon as possible since these changes can take some time to complete.

Upgrade charging capacity

Consider upgrading from typical 7kW chargepoints if you:

need to charge multiple EVs at the same time
have commercial EVs with larger battery capacity
have EVs that allow for more rapid charging

The fastest speed you can achieve at a domestic property is 22kW. Check to make sure that your EV can handle this level of charging – not all models can.

Contact your DNO for more advice on the cost of upgrading your electrical service to handle multiple or rapid chargepoints.

Check if chargepoints are required

Under ‘Part S’ of England’s Building Regulations, electric vehicle charging infrastructure is now required in:

new residential buildings with associated parking
new non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces
non-residential buildings undergoing a major renovation

For new non-residential buildings you must:

provide access to 1 EV charging point
install cable routes for 20% of the remaining parking spaces

The same regulations apply to major renovations of non-residential buildings, but only if:

the renovation includes work to the car park
the cost of installation is less than 7% of the total cost of the renovation

Check GOV.UK for the full text of ‘Part S’.

Calculate the cost of installing chargepoints

After rebates, expect to pay about £750 for the purchase price and installation of a 7kW domestic charger.

For commercial installations, after-rebate costs include:

£1,500 for a ‘dual socket’ 7kW charger
£2,500 to £5,000 for a ‘double-post’ 22kW charger
£35,000 and up for a rapid charger

Visit Zap Map for more advice on workplace charging costs.

Switch your energy tariff and save

Energy companies offer tariffs that reward for charging EVs at off-peak times at night. This can substantially reduce the cost of at-home charging.

You will need a smart meter and smart chargepoint installed to take advantage of these savings.

Energy Saving Trust recommends visiting Rightcharge to compare smart chargepoints and EV energy tariffs for homeowners.

Some SMEs are considering EV chargepoint installation at their premises. Contact an authorised chargepoint installer and request a site analysis for guidance on hardware, charger speeds, charge locations and other requirements.

Get tax benefits

You can deduct the cost of EVs and equipment for chargepoints from your profits before tax under first year allowances.

Visit GOV.UK for detailed guidance on tax benefits.

Get finance and support

Find out about grants to help with the costs of purchasing and installing chargepoints in GOV.UK’s Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grant guidance for installers.

These government grant schemes include the:

Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking which provides funding up to £350 toward the cost of installing chargepoints at residential properties when also installing a cross-pavement charging solution
Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grants for landlords which provides funding up to £350 toward the cost of installing EV smart chargepoints for commercial and residential landlords
Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant scheme for renters and flat owners which provides funding up to £350 toward the cost of installing EV smart chargepoints for those or own and live in a flat or rent any residential property (including shared ownership)
Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets which provides SMEs grants of 75% off the cost up to £15,000 for the wider building and installation work needed to support chargepoints in enterprise carparks
Workplace Charging Scheme which provides businesses with a maximum of £350 toward the installation of each EV socket, with a limit of 40 sockets per applicant
Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions: schools and educational institutions can apply for 75% off the cost to buy and install chargepoints up to a maximum of £2500 per socket

Contact your local authority and encourage them to apply for the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme. Your local authority could grants of 75% off the cost up to £30,000 for the wider building and instillation work needed to support chargepoints.

Related links

To get more help with transportation you can: