For workplaces and public sector organisations, providing on-site charging points for clients, visitors and employees alike will become increasingly important moving forward as petrol and diesel-powered cars are phased out and replaced by EVs.
There are a number of different schemes open to those looking to install this facility as part of their energy and carbon management, including the government-backed Workplace Charging Scheme which enables businesses, local authorities and charities to claim up to 75% of the charge point installation cost, up to a maximum of £350 per charge point installed. The subsidy is available for a maximum of 20 charge points and installations must be done by an Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) accredited installer.
Firms based in the United Kingdom (excluding the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) can claim and don’t necessarily need a plug-in vehicle on the company’s books, although in Scotland funding is available through a different scheme called the Energy Saving Trust,
A ballpark figure for a standard, double-header charging unit is around the £1,500 mark after the WCS Grant has been applied. But costs can escalate depending on the type of unit, its position and its charging speed. Ongoing operational business energy costs can be managed through Energy Management’s EM-Powered energy management portal.
Customer and visitor electric cars will have different charging connectivity needs, so it is important to install a charging point most likely to be compatible with the widest range of vehicles possible. An Energy Management EV installation project manager offers advice on this and all other aspects of the EV charging infrastructure process.
Businesses in the hotel, tourist and leisure industry can access funding from a charity called Zero Carbon World. Zero Carbon World gives eligible locations physical equipment worth £450 that comprises one wall mounted 32A Type 2 Charging Station – the European standard that can add approximately 30 miles of charge per hour – and one parking sign, among other added-on benefits.
Alternative models
In addition to the WCS, charging infrastructure providers operate fully-funded, loss leader and profit-making schemes.
The fully-funded model is attractive in that it comes with no operational cost but it may not always be the most appropriate solution for your needs.
With the loss leader model, EV charging is provided free by suppliers to grow market share by attracting and retaining customers, with costs offset by increased revenue gained through existing business activity.
A free top-up charge can be the deciding factor for a driver in choosing where to offer their custom and the costs of offering, for example, 7kW charging to attract these drivers can be relatively modest.
As such, your first consideration should be whether you can offer charging for free to maximise the number of drivers you attract to your location, grow brand loyalty and encourage on-site spending.
Meanwhile, with profit-making models, a higher fee is levied on drivers to use the charge points. This fee covers operational, hardware and installation costs and provides a profitable revenue stream on top.
If you would like more information on what we can offer in terms of EV charging infrastructure services, please visit our dedicated web page.
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