What is the grant available for?
This guidance is aimed at applicants from charitable organisations and small accommodation businesses.
If your business is not one of these, read Workplace Charging Scheme: guidance for applicants.
Guidance for installers and manufacturers is also available.
About the scheme
The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a voucher-based scheme that provides eligible applicants with support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.
It is available in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, but not in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man.
The scheme is run by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and administered by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Once the chargepoint(s) have been installed, the authorised installer can claim the grant from OZEV on the applicant’s behalf. The chargepoint installation must be completed and the voucher claimed within 6 months of the voucher’s issue date. Claims against expired vouchers will not be paid.
Installers must not charge applicants for the grant in advance of payment being made by OZEV. After OZEV reimburses your installer for the value of your voucher, this cost will be discounted from your final invoice.
If you apply for less than 40 sockets, you can submit additional applications in the future until you reach that limit. Special rules apply for linked enterprises.
OZEV reserves the right to terminate or change the rules of this grant scheme – including the grant level – at any time, although we will endeavour to provide up to 4 weeks’ notice. OZEV will honour any voucher codes that have been issued ahead of any changes to the grant or during any notice period given following the announcement of the scheme’s closure.
Percentage of project cost
The WCS is open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations that meet the applicant and site eligibility criteria.
The grant covers up to 75% of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (inclusive of VAT), capped at a maximum of:
- £350 per socket
- 40 sockets across all sites per applicant – for instance, if you would like to install them in 40 sites, you will have 1 socket available per site
Any eligibility criteria
be either:
- a registered charity
- an accommodation business with 249 employees or less
- have received – or have currently pending at the time of application – less than €200,000 of public support in the last 3 financial years (meaning the previous 2 financial years plus the current financial year) and satisfy the state aid requirements for de minimis aid
- declare a need for EV charging equipment (you do not need to possess a plug-in EV)
- be located in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland (applicants in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man are not eligible)
- have dedicated off-street parking. The parking facilities must be clearly associated with the applicant’s premises and be either on-site or a reasonable distance from the place of work. There is no restriction on who may use the parking, be it customers, guests, visitors, staff or others
- own the property or have consent from the landlord for chargepoints to be installed at all the sites listed in the application
Small accommodation business
An accommodation business categorised as having 249 employees (staff) or less. Using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes, this includes:
- 5510: hotels and similar accommodation
- 5520: holiday and other short-stay accommodation
- 5530: camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
Site eligibility
Applicants must have designated off-street parking facilities with spaces dedicated for staff and/or fleet use that are suitable for chargepoint installations. All parking must be designated to the applicant, although the rest of the car park may be shared with other organisations.
Each site must:
- have a minimum power supply of 3kW to each individual socket that is not diminished by their simultaneous use
- have no more than one socket installed for each accessible parking space
- be for staff and/or fleet use
Who provides the grant?
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
How to apply for the grant?
To apply for the grant or to find out more information please click here
Contact information:
Office for Zero Emission Vehicles
