Extension to key UK EV Chargepoint Grants

The Government will continue to fund the on-street residential chargepoint scheme ORCS in the year 2021/2022. The Transport Secretary announced that this funding aims to increase the number of electric cars chargepoints throughout the country.

So, in order to increase this number in cities and towns, the local governments need to embrace this funding. Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, sent a letter to councils across the UK announcing that ORCS (on-street residential chargepoint scheme) will continue in the year 2021/2022.

With these chargepoint additions, it will be pretty easy for residents without private parking to seamlessly charge their cars. Since the introduction of this scheme in 2017, it has benefited over 140 local authority projects. The result is an increase of roughly 4,000 chargepoints across Britain.

This grant injection may double this number, adding approximately 4,000 additional chargepoints in the country. With this, the government will have solved the poor air quality issues and supported economic growth as the country moves to being a green nation.

The local governments come in handy in offering electric car infrastructure. Therefore, by joining hands with the Energy Saving Trust, the Transport Department is persuading the councils to apply for the funding. Also, previous beneficiaries can apply for the grant.

Here is what the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, had to say:

• “All the way from Cumbria to Cornwall, all electric car owners need to benefit from the current electric car revolution.”

• “With a world-class charging network, the government is making it easy for more people to buy the EVs, and in the process, create a healthy and clean neighbourhood.”

The United Kingdom is already a world leader in the transition to electric cars. The Prime Minister outlined a ten-point plan that will hasten the shift to EVs. The sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles and vans needs to end by 2030.

The EVHS (electric vehicle homecharge scheme) is simply a grant offered by OZEV (Office for Zero-Emission Vehicles). This grant’s main objective is to provide an extra incentive to the United Kingdom electric car drivers.

With this grant, you can get up to £350 off the price of buying and installing a chargepoint at your premises. The grant applies to most plug-in hybrid and fully electric cars currently present in the present market.

• The grant allows you to claim a single home charger for every eligible plug-in or electric car and up to two qualified cars for every home.

• The home charger must be OZEV-approved and an OZEV-approved chargepoint installer needs to deploy it.

• The scheme is available to the majority of plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

Here is what you need to qualify for the electric vehicle homecharge scheme EVHS:

• You need to have acquired a qualified plug-in hybrid or electric car from October, 1st 2016 or later.

• It would be best if you had off-street parking, like a garage or driveway.

• You must give lease or keepership evidence and be names as the vehicle’s main user.

• The installation date should not be more than four months ahead of the vehicle’s start use date or delivery date.

• You should complete the office for zero emission application within six weeks before the home charge unit installation date.

Also sponsored by the government’s OZEV, the workplace charging scheme WCS offers companies a grant to lower the fees incurred when installing an electric vehicle chargepoint at their property. This grant lets the local authorities, businesses and charities to claim a whopping 75% of the total installation costs.

You will enjoy subsidisation of £350 for every installed socket up to a maximum of 40 sockets across all projects for every applicant. All the companies based in the UK, except Isle of Man and Channels Islands, can claim the grant, and they do not essentially need to have a plug-in hybrid car on their organisation’s books.

Keep in mind that the government does not fund the standard three-pin sockets. Besides, only accredited OZEV installers need to install the electric car chargepoints. The chargepoint should supply a minimum of 3kW, and the supply should not decrease even when charging several cars concurrently.

It is also worth noting that businesses cannot claim the existing electric car chargepoints since the scheme is only usable on new chargepoints yet deployed. Organisations must also dedicate off-street parking for fleet, visitors or even staff use.

Note that WCS is a voucher-based scheme created to offer the qualified applicants support towards the upfront expenses sustained during electric car chargepoints purchase and installation. As an applicant, you have to apply for this scheme from an online application portal. If eligible, you will receive a special identification code to your email.

You can then give the voucher to accredited Office for zero emission WCS installers. Remember that the voucher is only valid for 180 days (6 months) from the issuance date. After the chargepoint installation, the accredited installer will visit the online installer portal to claim the OZEV’s grant on the applicant’s behalf.

The software will then evaluate 75% of the stated purchase and installation expenses and confirm the awarded grant’s precise value. The government will cap it at a maximum of £350 for every socket. You will not receive payments for the claims you make against expired vouchers.

Only OZEV-authorised installers can redeem the voucher. Note that the office for zero-emission vehicles reserves all rights to alter or terminate the grant scheme’s rules at any time. However, the office says it will offer a 4 weeks’ notice.