• What are the advantages of an electric car?

    • They are good for the environment – no fuel = no emissions
    • They are cheaper to run – electricity is cheaper than fuel
    • Lower maintenance – an electric cars engine has considerably fewer moving parts than a combustion engine, resulting in EVs having a lower long-term maintenance costs
  • How much does it cost to install a EV charger?

    The average cost is £750 – £1000 to install a home charge point depending on the charger you choose and the ease of install – but there are grants available to help with this.

  • Do you need permission to install an EV Charger?

    Planning permission is not required for all mounted EV chargers, in designated off-street parking areas, but certain conditions are required. It can not exceed 0.2 cubic metres in size and must not face into or be within 2m of a highway

  • Are there any grants available to get a EV charger installed at my home?

    The EV Chargepoint Grant – which replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) – run by the Government’s Office of Zero-Emission Vehicles (OZEV) that offers £350 inc VAT off the purchase and installation of a new smart home charger.

  • How do I know if I am eligible for the EV Chargepoint Grant?

    To be eligible for the grant, you must: Live in a rented property or own a flat. Have dedicated off-street parking. Own, lease or have use of an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle eligible for the grant.

  • Who can install my EV Charger?

    You must use a competent electrician and in order to be eligible for the OZEV Grant you must use an OZEV Authorised installer. Black Pear EV will cover the following areas: Worcestershire, West Midlands and the surrounding areas. For other installers please click here.

  • What do I need to have at home to install a EV Charger?

    You will need to have somewhere suitable to locate your charger and sufficient capacity on your consumer unit (fuse board). Your installer will be able to advise you on your suitability.

  • How long it takes to charge an electric vehicle (EV) at home?

    It 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.
  • How much does it cost to charge an electric vehicle at home?

    This depends on the size of the battery in your electric vehicle – the formula is the price you pay for your electricity per kilowatt-hour, multiplied by the size of your battery.

    The average domestic electricity rate in the whole of the UK is about 28p per kWh. Fully charging a 60kWh electric car will cost around £15 (depending on where you live) and give you about 200 miles of range as of May 2022.

  • Do I need an electrician to install an EV Charger?

    Yes – you do, and a suitably qualified electrician who has the relevant EV charge installation qualification. Black Pear EV are not only suitably qualified but authorised under the Government’s OZEV scheme.

  • Is there a grant available for EV charger installation at work?

    The Workplace Charging Scheme is an OZEV Grant which offers up to £14,000 (£350 per point) to install EV Charging Points at a workplace.

  • Who is eligible for the Workplace Charge Scheme?

    The WCS is available to any business, charity, or public authority with some conditions including the following:

    • You must have sufficient off-street parking which is only used by staff or the fleet and which must be either on-site or a reasonable distance from the place of work.
    • While you do not need to currently have electric vehicles as part of your fleet, you will need to express an existing or future need for the business.
    • You must have the charging station installed by an OZEV Authorised WCS installer like Pod Point.

    Small accommodation businesses and charitable organisations have recently been added to the WCS grant. These may be defined as:

    • Hotels and similar accommodation.
    • Holiday and other short-stay accommodation.
    • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks.

    For small accommodation businesses or charitable organisations, there are no restrictions on who can use the designated off-street parking.

  • How do I apply for the WCS?

    You will need to complete an online application.

    If successful you will be sent a voucher code (valid for 120 days from issue) which you pass on to your authorised installer (just like Black Pear EV!) who will use the code to claim the grant after the installation is complete.

  • What are the benefits to a business to install EV ChargePoint?

    There are a number of benefits to installing chargers at a workplace, not just that as a general rule your employee will be on-site for long periods to allow for efficient charge times.

    As an employer paying commercial fleet and employee fuel costs, you can save a substantial amount of money – more than £1000 per year by 10,000 miles.

    If you provide a company car to your employees you can reduce the ‘benefit in kind tax’ by having an electric fleet of vehicles you can reduce your CO2 emissions and help to reach your sustainability goals.