OLEV grant to change from 1st April
The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) confirmed on the 12th March that the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS) Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) and On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) will continue for another year. There will however be some proposed changes to the schemes, the most notable being the reduction in grant for the EVHS and ORCS to allow more people to benefit from the grant in the expected increase in uptake of electric vehicles.
What are the changes to the Electric vehicle homecharge scheme and workplace charging scheme?
Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS)
The grant for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme will reduce from £500 to £350 for the cost of purchase and installation of charge points. The scheme will also be extended to include large electric motorbikes as well as electric cars and vans.
These changes will affect any EVHS installations carried out on or after the 1st April 2020.
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
The grant for the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) will also reduce from £500 to £350 for the cost of purchase and installation of charge points.
This will apply to WCS voucher applications submitted on or after 1st April 2020.
The charging needs of businesses will now be better addressed as the Workplace Charging Scheme will now allow 40 sockets rather than 20.
Why is it changing?
The aim of the grant reduction is to double the number of people benefitting from a grant, increasing to 57,000 from 30,000. Offering the grant to more people allows a wider proportion to consider electric vehicles for both domestic and commercial use.
What are the changes to the On-Street Residential Charging Scheme (ORCS)?
The grant is also being reduced for On-street Residential Charging Schemes (ORCS) from £7,500 to £6,500 per chargepoint, extended to £7,500 in certain circumstances, where a local authority has demonstrated a need for this level of support. These changes will apply for applications for the 2020/21 financial year.
This should enable greater support to more authorities allowing for a greater number of chargepoints. As the overall volume is rising the scheme is being continued to ensure the most on-street charger points possible across the UK.
If you have any questions about the OLEV grant or electric vehicle charging, get in touch with the team on 01226 763127.
The full government release can be accessed here – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/update-on-the-infrastructure-grants-schemes