How Does the OZEV Grant Work?
Looking to reduce the cost of having an EV charger installed?
You are in the right place, in this guide, we look at how does the OZEV grant work.
Who can apply for it, and how much money can it actually knock off the final price?
Let’s begin…
Types of OZEV Grant
EV Chargepoint Grant Scheme
The EV Chargepoint Grant Scheme replaced the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which was shut down in March 2022 and altered the eligibility of those who can apply for it.
The main aim of the EV Chargepoint Grant is to allow more people to purchase an EV and have the ability to charge at home rather than using residential chargers or other public charging units.
If accepted for the grant, you could receive up to 75% of the purchase price and installation for your unit at home. There is a limit of £350 for each installation and there is a criteria you must meet:
- You must own a flat or live in a rented accommodation
- Dedicated off-street parking is compulsory
- You must own, lease or be able to use an electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle for eligibility
- You can’t have already claimed this grant or the previous EVHS one
- A qualified installer has to be used
If you are eligible, you won’t have to apply for it yourself, it goes through your installer. They will go over your application with you, once it’s all correct, they will apply for the grant on your behalf. Once accepted, the installer receives the amount and you are responsible for paying the remaining balance.
The application can take up to 30 working days and is processed through the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)
This is another grant scheme provided by OZEV but rather than targeting homeowners or renters, this one is aimed at businesses, charities and the public sector. The purpose is to encourage more charger installations in car parks and on the premises of businesses.
Obviously, if you’re a business with a large workforce, you will be looking to install more than just one EV charger. This scheme is capped at £350 per installation and you can only have a maximum of 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.
There are quite a few eligibility rules you have to meet, these include:
- You must be a registered business, charity or public sector organisation
- You actually need an EV charge point, you have staff who own EVs
- Have dedicated off-street parking
- Own the property or have permission from the landlord to install the charge points
- Have parking facilities clearly associated with that business
To get the grant, you have to apply online and then if you are successful, you will be issued a unique identification voucher code through your email which can then be given to an OZEV-approved installer.
Only once the charge points have been installed can the installer make the claim for the grant on behalf of the customer. Once the voucher has been issued, the installation and claim for the grant must both be completed within six months otherwise the voucher will expire.
On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS)
This grant scheme is for local authorities to install residential chargepoints. Million of homes across the UK don’t have access to private parking, this is where residential charging comes in useful. It allows EV owners to still have chargepoints close to home whether that be on residential streets or public car parks.
The scheme is open to all relevant local authorities in the UK and is designed to improve the overall public charging infrastructure. Only the local councils can apply for this scheme, so if you are an EV owner and would like to see more public charging options in your area, we recommend you contact your local authority and put forward some proposals.
The scheme criteria is still being updated for the full year but you can find out more information here on the Energy Saving Trust website. This will be regularly updated when there is any new relevant information released about the scheme.
Impact of OZEV Grants on EV Adoption
One of the major benefits of the OZEV grants are that they contribute to the EV market growth and encourage homeowners and businesses to suppor the transition to EV’s. By offering these incentives, your much more likely to get people willing to make the switch from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles.
They also increase the affordability and accessibility of the charging infrascture and can relive owners fears regarding range anxiety and other areas of concern.
Conclusion
Hopefully this guide has heped you understand the different OZEV grants available and what one you could be eligible for. It’s important to always check the full criteria of eligibility before you start your application.
The schemes and grants are especially useful as they are encouraging a faster transition to electric cars, which will only create a greener and more sustainable future for society. The more governments and local councils can push the EV market, the quicker we come away from internal combustion engines.
If you want to read some more information about electric cars in general, head back to our main category page.
