The UK Government already introduced grants for electric vehicles (EVs) more than a decade ago, but as more and more people are turning away from gas-guzzlers towards low-emission vehicles and electric cars, the government changed their grant scheme to be more incentivising.
If you are hoping to switch to an EV and are wondering about the costs and grants available for EV chargers, then read on.
With several grants available for 2023, it can be overwhelming to understand them all. Read on to learn about the different EV charger grants for 2023 and how you can apply.
The EV Chargepoint Grant Scheme replaced the previous Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which was shut down in March 2022 (more on that in a bit).
The main goal of the EV ChargePoint Grant is to make it more affordable to purchase an electric vehicle and charge it at home instead of having to seek out costly public chargers.
With this grant, you can receive up to 75% of the cost of the purchase price and installation of an EV charge point at home. The grant is capped at £350 for each installation.
There are some eligibility criteria for this grant:
A qualified EVHS installer will go through all the details of your application to ensure you are meeting all the eligibility criteria, and the installer will then apply for the grant on your behalf. You will receive an invoice for the installation minus the grant amount that you applied for.
When the grant is approved, the qualified EVHS installer will receive the funds, and you will be responsible for paying the rest.
All grant claims are processed by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) in a period of 30 working days.
You can learn more about the EV ChargePoint Grant on the government's website.
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is another grant scheme offered by OZEV.
This scheme is aimed at charities, businesses as well as the public sector for the installation of EV chargers at their premises, should the eligibility criteria be met.
The WCS grant allows workplaces to reduce the cost of purchasing and installing charge points by up to £14,000. Similar to the EV ChargePoint Grant, individual chargepoint installation is capped at £350, and the WCS is a voucher-based scheme.
Not only is the WCS a great incentive for companies to switch to electric vehicles, but there are additional tax incentives as well. Drivers using an EV can save up to £2,000 annually thanks to tax reductions.
Here is how the WCS works:
There are certain eligibility criteria that must be met:
You can apply for the OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme and find out more on the government's website.
Although the EVHS has been replaced by the EV ChargePoint Scheme, you do not have to stress if you have already applied for the EVHS. Electric vehicle grants applied for under the EVHS that are under review do not have to submit a new application, and the EVHS remains open to resubmissions of applications until the end of March 2023.
Here are the main criteria for eligibility for the OZEV grants:
All fully electric vehicles are eligible, but hybrids must have CO2 emissions lower than 50g/km to be eligible.
The hardware costs £500 to £1,000, and installation can cost another £350.
Installing an EV charger can be expensive, but fortunately, the government has plenty of grant funding available for residential, commercial and public authorities to ease the financial burden.
If you are ready to get your EV charger installed at home, make sure to contact EV Domestic for all your installation requirements.
