Workplace charging scheme

The workplace charging scheme WCS is the scheme developed by the government to encourage businesses to install electric car charging points at their place of work.

The workplace charging scheme gives you up to 75% of the installation cost of your charge point installation. It is capped at £350 per socket, and a maximum of 40 sockets across all sites per applicant. It is important to note that the workplace charging scheme WCS does not include all commercial installations, though the criteria have recently been widened to include certain businesses where you may offer electric vehicle charging for your customers. We will be able to advise you on whether your business meets the latest guidelines to be eligible for the scheme.

How do I qualify for the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)?

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-approved WCS installer like Black Pear Electrical.

Small accommodation businesses and charitable organisations may also be eligible, 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.

As of February 2024, the WCS has been extended to included state-funded education institutions.

Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions

Each establishment will be able to claim a maximum of 75% off the cost to buy and install charge point to a maximum of:

• £2500 per socket
• 40 sockets across all site

In order to be eligible for the Workplace Charging Scheme the state-funded education institutions must be in England, Wales, Scotland or  Northern Ireland. If the institution is in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, it is not eligible.

The institution must have:

• an existing or future need for charging an electric vehicle
• designated off-street parking facilities that are clearly associated with your premises (the parking may be used by customers, guests, visitors, staff or others)
• had a site survey done by an installer, who has confirmed that your site can support EV charging
• not have applied for a grant for the same chargepoint under the EV infrastructure grant for staff and fleets or any other grant scheme
• have the authority to apply for the Workplace Charging Scheme on behalf of your organisation

Academy trusts can apply for up to the maximum of 40 sockets for each institution within the academy trust.

Independent Schools can apply for the standard WCS (as detailed above).

Employees make decisions about which company to work for based on more than just their paycheck. Company ethics and environment play a huge part in decision-making for potential employees. Perks and benefits such as employee schemes are also imperative to attract the best candidates.

Installing workplace charging is a simple yet effective way to attract and retain forward-thinking employees. By offering this to your employees, you are helping them to make the move to electric and encouraging those who have already embraced electric vehicles.

If you are considering powering up your fleet, the best time is now. Utilising the government’s workplace charging grant will reduce the cost of transferring your fleet to electric.

In general, the pros of running electric fleet vehicles outweigh the cons. Electric vehicles are greener, cheaper to maintain, and cheaper to fuel than their traditional alternatives. The main barrier to electric vehicles is the initial cost, but as their popularity grows, the prices are falling. More consumers are choosing companies based on their green credentials, so the positive publicity associated with your green fleet may actually have a direct impact on your sales.

At Black Pear EV, we will work with you to ensure that we provide you with the best solution for your fleet charging. We will spend time understanding how your employees use their company cars, and what the requirements for their charging points will be. We will work with you to ensure that your EV charge points will be ideal for your business, whether you are charging fleet vehicles overnight or company cars throughout the day.

Some customer charge point installations will be covered by the WCS grant. When you partner with us, we will be able to advise you on whether you are eligible for the latest grant.

Providing your customers with charge points will give an additional service, which may help to increase your customer footfall, and ultimately boost sales. As part of building a sustainable future, small accommodation businesses are eligible for the WCS grant, to enable us to continue to build an integrated society.

If you are interested in installing charging stations in your business, speak to us. We will be able to help you to investigate your workplace charging scheme eligibility.

Once you have successfully applied for your grant towards the purchase and installation costs of your charging stations we will carry out the work, and then we claim the grant back from the government, this grant is claimed retrospectively. You must use an OZEV Authorised installer such as ourselves to install your charge points and also have sufficient off-street parking for your employees or fleet, in order to qualify for the grant.

We are an independent OZEV Authorised installer, which you must use for the workplace charging scheme. We are trustworthy and respected.

We have many years of experience as electricians, and we bring this expertise to every project that we undertake. We understand the implications of installing charge points at your business. If you are converting to a green fleet then the timescale for your charging point installation is crucial to the success of your commercial fleet.

The best time to install a charge point or charging station at your workplace is now.

Whether you are the business owner of a private company, a public authority, or a charity, you can go through the application process for the WCS. Act now, as the government office can withdraw grants with little notice. Contact the helpful team at Black Pear EV to discuss your workplace installation today.