EV chargers for businesses: your questions answered

As a 2026 guide, a 7kW AC socket typically runs £800-£1,500 per bay installed, a 22kW AC unit £2,500-£4,500, and a 50kW DC rapid £25,000-£45,000. Groundworks, cabling and any supply upgrade sit on top. Crucially, the Workplace Charging Scheme cuts up to £500 per socket (from 1 April 2026) for up to 40 sockets, so always budget net of the grant.

The main live scheme is the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS): from 1 April 2026 it gives up to £500 per socket (raised from £350), covering 75% of the install cost, capped at 40 sockets, running to 31 March 2027. Van, HGV and coach depots can also use the Depot Charging Scheme (70%, up to £1m). The separate EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets closed on 31 March 2026 — don't chase it.

The WCS is a per-socket subsidy — up to £500 per socket, maximum 40 — toward the chargepoints themselves, open until 31 March 2027. The EV Infrastructure Grant for staff and fleets was broader (up to 75% of wider groundworks to £15,000 plus £500 per future-proofed space), but it closed to new applications on 31 March 2026. For most businesses in 2026, the WCS is the route to pursue.

It depends on charger power. A 7kW (32A) unit runs on a standard single-phase supply, which most smaller premises already have. A 22kW AC unit needs a three-phase (400V) supply, as do all DC rapid chargers. Many commercial sites already have three phase; if not, you either upgrade the supply or specify 7kW units with load management. Confirm your incoming supply type and spare capacity before choosing charger speed.

Any multi-charger or three-phase install should be checked with your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) before you commit. A single small unit may only need 'connect and notify' (G98), but most commercial sites — three-phase, multiple sockets, or total demand over 60A — need a G99 application approved before the chargers are switched on, typically 5-65 working days. Load management often lets you add chargers within your existing supply and avoid a costly upgrade.

Match charger speed to how long vehicles park. 7kW AC suits all-day parking — staff, offices, hotels — adding roughly 25-30 miles per hour. 22kW AC suits 2-4 hour dwell where you have three-phase power, though most cars only accept 7-11kW AC so it's often no faster. DC rapid (50kW+) suits quick turnarounds — customer car parks, forecourts, fleet redeploys — but costs far more and needs a strong supply. Most workplaces are best served by banks of 7kW units.

Yes. With a MID-metered charger and a back-office platform you can set a per-kWh tariff (or offer free/subsidised charging) and bill drivers by RFID card or contactless. Providing charging to all staff at or near the workplace to charge their own cars is exempt from benefit-in-kind (s237A ITEPA 2003), so employees face no tax charge. If you resell electricity to the public, the Public Charge Point Regulations and VAT rules apply.

Dynamic load management monitors your site's total electrical demand in real time and shares the spare capacity across active chargers, throttling each so the incoming supply is never overloaded. When the building draws more power, chargers step down; when demand falls, they ramp back up. This lets you install more sockets than your supply could run at full power at once — exploiting the diversity factor — and often avoids an expensive DNO reinforcement. A load-balancing controller (£100-£450) is far cheaper than a supply upgrade.

Not for existing buildings. But under Approved Document S (Part S) of the Building Regulations, in force since 15 June 2022 in England, a new non-residential building with MORE than 10 parking spaces must have at least one EV chargepoint plus cable routes to one in five of the remaining spaces. The same applies to major renovations that leave more than 10 spaces. So new-build and significant refurbishment projects trigger the requirement; Scotland and Wales have their own rules.

For a straightforward AC install — a few 7kW or 22kW units on an adequate supply — expect one to a few days on site once surveyed. Larger schemes with trenching, a new sub-board or many sockets run one to three weeks. DC rapids take longer because they usually need a formal DNO connection application and possible reinforcement, which can add weeks or months. The DNO process is the usual bottleneck, so start it early.

Yes, and it's a strong pairing. On-site solar PV can power daytime charging directly, lowering your cost per kWh and grid demand — especially for workplace 7kW units used while the sun is up. Commercial self-consumption often rises from 40-60% to over 70% once daytime charging is added (80%+ with a battery). Note that solar or battery export needs separate DNO sign-off under G99 (or G98 for small systems), distinct from the charger connection.

Pure-electric company cars carry a very low benefit-in-kind: 4% in 2026/27, 5% in 2027/28, then 7% and 9% by 2029/30 (versus up to 37% for petrol/diesel). The chargepoint equipment qualifies for a 100% first-year capital allowance until 31 March 2027 for corporation tax (5 April 2027 for income tax). Workplace charging of staff's own cars is BiK-exempt. Together these make electrifying cars and chargers markedly cheaper. Take your own tax advice.

Size to demand, not to the number of parking spaces. Estimate how many EV drivers — staff, fleet and visitors — need a charge on a typical day and how long each parks. Because not everyone charges at once, apply a simultaneity (diversity) factor; often only 30-60% of sockets draw power together. Load management then lets you fit more sockets to a given supply. Start with a sensible ratio and lay cable routes to expand cheaply later.

Generally yes — the WCS grant (up to £500/socket) reduces the purchase cost, and the 100% First-Year Allowance can be claimed against the remaining qualifying expenditure, subject to your accountant confirming the net figure. Both are time-limited: the WCS and the FYA extension both run to 31 March 2027 (5 April 2027 for income tax).

Not if you specify OCPP-compliant hardware. The Open Charge Point Protocol is an open standard that lets chargers from different makers work with different back-office platforms, so you can switch software provider without replacing the units. Ask for OCPP 1.6J or 2.0.1 support and confirm the hardware isn't cryptographically locked to one network. This protects you from vendor lock-in and keeps competition on tariffs, support and management fees.

On a commercial overnight tariff, depot charging typically costs around 7p per mile versus roughly 22p per mile for diesel. For a 24-van fleet doing ~336,000 miles a year that's an indicative fuel saving of around £50,000 a year, before lower maintenance and Clean Air Zone savings. Figures vary by tariff, mileage and vehicle, and public rapid charging is dearer than depot charging.

They apply once charging is public and paid on an ad-hoc basis. That brings duties including contactless payment (new units >=8kW), 99% average annual reliability for rapid (>=50kW) networks, transparent p/kWh pricing, a free 24/7 helpline and open data — enforced by OPSS. Purely staff/private workplace charging is instead covered by the Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021.

Beyond electricity, budget for back-office software (typically £100-£480 per socket per year), payment-processing fees on paid charging, periodic maintenance and electrical inspection, and data connectivity. Networked chargers need this to bill drivers, monitor faults and run load management. Electricity is the biggest variable — on-site solar, off-peak tariffs and load balancing all reduce it. A maintenance contract protects uptime, especially on DC rapid units where repairs are pricier.