Is there a grant for installing EV chargers in a commercial setting?
Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme designed to provide eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints. The contribution is limited to the 75% of purchase and installation costs, up to a maximum of £350 for each socket, up to a maximum of 40 across all sites for each applicant.
Applicants will apply for the scheme using the online application portal. If eligibility checks are successful, applicants will be issued with a unique identification voucher code via email, which can then be given to any OLEZ-authorised WCS installer – which includes Black Pear Electrical.
The voucher will be valid for 6 months (180 days) from the date of issue, (expiry date printed on the voucher). Once the chargepoint(s) have been installed, the authorised installer will claim the grant from OLEZ on the applicant’s behalf through the online installer portal.
What is the OLEZ Grant?
If you’re looking to buy a low emission vehicle and charge point for home or work use, the “OLEZ Grant” is a government grant which entitles you to money off specific low emission vehicles AND money off electric charger installation. Your choice of car and charger must be on the OLEZ approved list but if they are then you’ll be entitled to up to £2,500 off the RRP of the car and up to £350 towards the installation of your charger. You don’t need to do anything to claim these other than pick an approved vehicle and an approved charger installation. The dealership and the charger installer will do the rest. The financial help is slightly different for home and work.
How does OLEZ grant work?
The Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) or the OLEZ Grant is commissioned by the UK Government towards contributing to encouraging people to switch to electric cars. Through this scheme, you will be eligible to claim £350 on your electric car charge point installation. Most plugin hybrids and EVs qualify for this scheme and you will be able to claim offer for one charging point per vehicle. A house is allowed to utilize the grant for up to electric charging points.
Do I qualify for the OLEZ grant?
You will qualify for the OLEZ grant if you meet the following requirements:
- Your plugin hybrid car or full electric vehicle must have been purchased after October 2016.
- If you do not have a car yet, you must be able to show proof of your order.
- You must have a parking facility at your house/business.
- You must install and use an OLEZ approved electric car charging point.
Which vehicles are eligible?
You can find find the complete list of all the vehicles eligible for the OLEZ Grant here.
All full battery electric cars meet the criteria, however, only some plugin hybrid vehicles with CO2 emissions below 75g/km will be included.
If you own a second hand electric vehicle, you will also be eligible for the grant provided the application for the grant is made within four months before or after receiving your vehicle.
What chargers are available?
There are around 40 manufacturers provide charging units suitable for residential use. Typically the units are wall-mounted, and available either with a tethered Type 1 or Type 2 cable, which can be plugged straight into the car, or with a Type 2 socket for use with the vehicle’s charging cable.
Most suppliers provide two power rating options: 3 kW or 7 kW. Expect to pay more for the 7 kW option which reduces charge time significantly if the car has a fast on-board charger. For example, a Nissan Leaf on a 3 kW home charge unit will provide a full charge in around 12-13 hours, whereas a 7 kW unit will give a full charge in around six hours.
How much do home chargers cost?
When it comes to charging at home, you have a couple of choices. You can either plug it in to a standard UK three-pin socket, or you can get a special home fast-charging point installed.
The Government-funded Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) provides grants for home charge points. From 1st April 2020, the maximum amount available to customers will be £350 off a charger. Until that point, the previous regulations apply, which sees the grant capped at up to £500 per charge point.
Contributions will cover no more than 75% of the cost of a charge point and its installation, and grants will only be available for those that have the unit fully-installed by an OLEZ-accredited installer. Other regulations that apply include the requirement for charge points to be smart – able to be remotely accessed and capable of receiving, interpreting, and reacting to a signal.
Prices vary depending on charge point manufacturer and speed. Typically a 3 kW unit will cost between £250 and £500, while a 7 kW charge point will cost between £450 and £800 – though these costs are only guidelines and subject to change. It is worth remembering that new EV buyers may well be eligible for a discounted or free charge point as part of a manufacturer-backed perk. There also are EV-focused tariffs that offer similar schemes.
To be eligible to apply for the scheme, EV owners must provide evidence of keeper-ship, lease, be named as the primary user of an eligible electric vehicle (bought new or second hand), and have off-street parking facilities suitable for charge point installation.
The charge point must also be installed by an OLEZ authorised installer. Choosing a supplier that is not on the list will most likely mean incurring the full cost of the unit and installation. Finally, the date of installation must not be more than four months ahead of the date of delivery of start date of vehicle.
For more details on the Homecharge and related schemes, visit the OLEZ website.
Who can install my EV Charger?
In order to be eligible for an OLEZ Grant you must use a OLEZ approved installer. Black Pear Electrical will cover the following areas: Worcestershire, West Midlands and the surrounding areas. For other installers please visit www.gov.uk
How long will it take to charge my electric car?
How long it takes to charge an electric vehicle (EV) at home depends on a number of different factors, including which car you have, its battery capacity and what sort of charging system you’re using.
The charger’s speed will depend on how many kilowatts (kW) it can provide, and how many your car can accept: the higher the number of watts the car can handle, the faster the car will charge. At home, you get a choice of two speeds:
- Slow charging. Rate 3kW. If you charge your car from ‘empty’ (either at home or at a charging station), a full slow charge will take 8-14 hours.
- Fast charging. Rate 7-22kW. A fast-charging point will take around three to four hours to fully replenish an electric car’s batteries from zero charge.
Public charging stations often charge at a faster rate:
- Rapid charging. Rate 43-50kW. More and more electric cars are now compatible with rapid charging, so if you own a car such as the Tesla Model S or Kia Soul EV, a rapid charger will give you an 80% charge in as little as 30 minutes. They’re not as common as fast-chargers, either, but the number of rapid chargers is increasing almost by the day. Tesla has its own proprietary Supercharger network for use exclusively with its cars.
It’s important to remember that not all cars are compatible with fast charging, either because their wattage is too low or because their connector doesn’t fit with the fast-charging unit. For example, the entry-level Nissan Leaf can only be charged at a maximum of 3.7kW, which means it’ll take up to 8 hours to fully charge.
Also, slow and fast charging can come with different plug connectors. Most slow chargers will use the Type 1 connector. This can be plugged into either a fast-charging point or directly into the domestic electricity supply via a regular wall socket. The other main type of connector is the Type 2 seven-pin connector that can be plugged only into a proper EV charging point. This is more common on fast-charging cars, but you will find it on some slow-charging models.
What do I do if I need to charge my EV during a journey?
There are now more than 30,000 charge points across the UK in over 11,000 locations – that’s more public places to charge than petrol stations, with around 10,000 charge points added in 2019 alone. Most networks offer a mix of slow, fast and rapid charging options.
www.zap-map.com is a great resource and provided information on the UK’s main EV charging networks with links through to in-depth network guides. Each guide provides details of the network operator, any cross-network agreements, the network’s charger locations and access methods, and any fees that may apply.
How do I use a public charging point?
Most public charging points require you to have their provider’s swipecard, or mobile phone app, to unlock the charging point. This will allow you to connect the charging cable from your car to the charging point.
Often, the charging point will include a lock around its cable to stop it from being disconnected (either maliciously or accidentally). You’ll usually need to use the swipecard or app again to disconnect the electricity supply and unlock the cable.
Be aware, however, that different providers may have different ways of doing operating their charging points, so it’s worth doing specific research into how each company works. This will avoid or reduce the amount of time spent in the pouring rain trying to work out how on earth you work that particular charging point.
Which charging points can I use?
You’re limited by a number of factors when choosing which public points you can use. Firstly, there are a number of different operators that own the charging points. Companies like Chargemaster, Polar and Ecotricity are some of the biggest, but there are also a variety of regional ones.
To use these, you’ll often have to become a member, which means you pay a flat fee each month for unlimited use of that company’s charging stations. As different operators often dominate different regions, it’s wise to join a number of schemes.
Joining Polar, the biggest company, costs around £8 a month, but some providers don’t charge at all. For example, Zero Carbon World doesn’t ask you to subscribe and there’s no charge to use its stations, either, while Nissan allows Leaf owners to use the charging points at its dealerships.
It’s Tesla that’s forging ahead with charging, however. It provides a UK network of around 300 ‘Supercharger’ charging points for owners of its Model S and Model X electric cars, plus another 500 or so ‘destination chargers’ at hotels, restaurants and landmarks. Use of the Superchargers is no longer free, as the number of owners increases and the company looks to become more profitable. Tesla’s Superchargers now cost about 24 pence per kW/h to use.
The points provide what’s known as rapid charging and can give you as much as an 80% charge in just 30 minutes, meaning you can stop for a coffee and be on your way again with the best part of the car’s full range. If you’re going to buy the smaller Tesla Model 3 saloon electric car, however, it’s worth noting that you also won’t have free use of the Supercharger network.
Charging on the motorway
Only Ecotricity provides charging stations on the motorway, with about 50 charging stations offering around 300 individual chargers. Not so long ago, these were free to use, but the company has recently introduced a £6 charge for 30 minutes of use. If, however, you also get your electricity from Ecotricity, then you’re eligible for 52 free charges per year.
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