Could you save up to £350 on electric vehicle charge point installation?

What is the charge point grant? The charge point grant was introduced by the government in 2020 to make it cheaper to switch to a low emission vehicle. When more people switch from petrol or diesel to an electric vehicle, this supports their target to decrease UK carbon emissions. The charge point grant offers £350 towards the cost of installing a charger for an electric car. Previously, you could access the grant if you were a homeowner with your own driveway, but this has changed. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV, for short) recently updated who can and cannot access the grant. We’ll go into this in more detail in just a moment. First, it’s worth quickly running through the different names this grant has gone by. It comes from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), so it’s been called the OZEV grant or the OLEV grant. More recently it was called the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), but from April 2022, it’s been named ‘EV chargepoint grant’. Who can get the OZEV charge point grant? A common question we hear is, am I eligible for the OZEV chargepoint grant? So let’s cover that now. The charge point grant can be accessed if you are a flat owner, live in rented accommodation, or if you’re a landlord. Let’s take a closer look. How to access the charge point grant if you’re a flat owner or live in rented accommodation For flat owner-occupiers or people living in rented properties, this grant gives a 75% contribution to the cost of one electric vehicle charger and its installation. A cap is set at £350 (including VAT) per installation. Some things have stayed the same with this grant. For example, your charge point and installer still need to be EVHS approved. However, some things have changed. Previously you could claim up to 2 home chargers, but not any more. You can only claim for one charge point, even if you own a second electric vehicle. OZEV EVHS grants for households (not landlord properties) ended by the 31st of March this year. Homeowners who have their own dedicated driveway can no longer take advantage of this grant. To qualify, you must:

• live in rental accommodation or own a flat.
• own, lease or have ordered a qualifying vehicle.
• have dedicated off-street parking at your property.

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme? The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and managed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). This voucher-based scheme covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV charge points (inclusive of VAT). This is capped at a maximum of £350 per socket, for 40 sockets across all sites per applicant. So, if you want to install at 40 sites, you’ll be eligible for one charge point at each site. As with the other OZEV grants, it’s your approved installer who will claim the money on your behalf. Who can access the Workplace Charging Scheme? Any business, charity or public sector organisation that meets the government criteria can apply for the Workplace Charging Scheme.