The Government has announced that all new cars and vans wholly powered by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030. This is part of their plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net-zero from transport. This will mean new cars sold from 2030 will be run on battery power. To support businesses with this change, the BID team has compiled useful links and information on Electric Vehicle (EV) guidance, financial support and grants, and local suppliers below.
Workplace EV Chargepoints
Workplaces are ideal locations for employee and company owned EVs to be charged, whether during the day or overnight. As the uptake of electric company cars increases due to favourable benefit-in kind tax relief and increasing EV availability, it will become more important for organisations to introduce chargepoints at workplaces.
In determining how many chargepoints to install, and what specification to use, employers will need to think about the size of their fleet now and in the near future, including private staff vehicles.
Recommended resources for EV charging guidance
Government guide to Electric Vehicles
See the Beginner's Guide to Going Electric on GOV.UK which contains lots of information regarding choosing, owning and charging an electric vehicle.
Bracknell Forest Council guide to Electric Vehicles
See Bracknell Forest Council's summary and guide booklet on Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities which contains a comprehensive background on electric vehicle charging chargepoint types, costs, as well as considerations in implementing chargers.
See Bracknell Forest Council's dedicated web page for Electric Vehicles as well as their dedicated web page for businesses about climate change, containing resources for businesses to facilitate their wider journey to Net Zero.
Energy Saving Trust Guide to Charging Electric Vehicles
See Energy Saving Trust's guide which provides information on the different chargers for EV charging.
Electric Car Guide Business Information Hub
See Electric Car Guide's Business Information Hub containing guidance on workplace charger installation, Electric Car Mileage rates, Electric HGVs, Benefit in Kind rules and how to electrify your business fleet.
Financial support and grant schemes available for businesses
There are some government grant schemes and financial support to help you buy and charge an electric vehicle:
You do not apply for the grant. The seller includes it as a discount in the purchase price.
The EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets is for small-to-medium-sized businesses in the UK (businesses with no more than 249 employees).
The grant covers up to 75% of the cost of installing the infrastructure needed for chargepoints to operate and for future chargepoints to be installed, as well as the cost of any chargepoints installed. There is a limit of £15,000 per grant.
You can get up to:
- £350 per chargepoint socket installed
- £500 per parking space enabled with supporting infrastructure
Each parking space claimed must be associated with a unique chargepoint socket. The socket must be associated with an installed chargepoint or one that will be installed at a future connection location.
The installed infrastructure must support a minimum of 5 parking spaces with at least one working chargepoint.
Your installer will claim the grant on your behalf.
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) provides this grant.
There is a separate and different grant from the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS), which does not help towards the cost of chargepoint infrastructure. Both grants may be used for the same site, but not the same chargepoints. If you are using both grants, you must claim for at least one working chargepoint under the EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets and only use the WCS for chargepoints added at a later date.
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides support towards the up-front costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle charge-points, for eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations.
The WCS is open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations that meet the applicant and site eligibility criteria.
The grant covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (inclusive of VAT), capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – for instance, if you would like to install them in 40 sites, you will have 1 socket available per site
After applying using the online application form, successful applicants are issued with a unique identification voucher code by email, which can then be given to any OZEV-authorised commercial chargepoint installer.
Once the chargepoint(s) have been installed, the authorised installer can claim the grant from OZEV on the applicant’s behalf. The chargepoint installation must be completed and the voucher claimed within 6 months of the voucher’s issue date. Claims against expired vouchers will not be paid.
Installers must not charge applicants for the grant in advance of payment being made by OZEV. After OZEV reimburses your installer for the value of your voucher, this cost will be discounted from your final invoice.
Capital allowances are a type of tax relief for businesses. They let you deduct some or all of the value of an item from your profits before you pay tax.
Your business can claim capital allowances on a range of green equipment; These could include electric cars, zero emissions vehicles, equipment for electric vehicle charging points and hydrogen refuelling.
Local Suppliers within the BID area
Consultants:
Energy Efficient Solutions Group (EES Group)
Energy Efficient Solutions Group (EES Group), based on Western Road (Western Business Area) is a market leader within the renewable sector specialising in LED lighting, Solar PV, EV Charging and heating solutions. EES Group have helped all types of organisations in all industry sectors within both public and private sectors, to build a more sustainable business for over a decade through their energy efficient solutions.
For more information, visit their website or call 01344 883399 or email info@eesgroup.co.uk
OZEV approved local BID area installers:
Contact an installer approved by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to find out how much it costs to install an electric vehicle chargepoint socket. You can apply for a grant to help towards this cost if you are eligible.
Rex Hurst and Sons Ltd
Unit 20-21, Longshot Industrial Estate, Longshot Lane, Bracknell, RG12 1RL
For more information, visit their website. For a free estimate, call 01344 425752 or email enquiries@rexhurst.co.uk
