Up to March 2022 the UK government issued grants of up to £350 to help towards the cost of getting a home EV charger installed - this was known as the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). The scheme was replaced by The EV chargepoint grant, which is only applicable to people who live in flats or landlords. The WCS (Workplace Charging Scheme) however, is a voucher-based scheme that can provide support towards the up-front costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints, for eligible businesses, public sector organisations and charities. Check the government website for the latest information.

Yes, and here are three reasons as to why… - Charging from home or the workplace is significantly cheaper than using motorways and public charge points. Plus reduces general wear and tear on the vehicle over long periods of time. - Home chargers / wallbox are more practical, convenient, efficient and in some cases have the advantage of smart technology. - A slow charger (only for emergencies) could take in excess of a day to charge a EV, and a three-pin plug and socket were never designed to take such a heavy load for long periods of time.

Building construction - Let’s say for example, the building is quite old with very thick exterior walls (made of a material like stone for instance), the additional time, expert care and effort taken to drill through might affect installation costs. Location of the internal electricity distribution board - You may require additional wiring if the desired location for the chargepoint is a long way from your internal distribution board. Building electrical systems - Although this won’t apply to many, some buildings with older electrics can require additional updates beforehand. This is to ensure that the system can meet the high demands placed on it by a chargepoint. Added extras - We understand that some clients require facilities such as floodlighting to ensure clear visibility at night. We can of course help with this during your chargepoint installation, just contact us for more information.

In short, yes. BUT to install your own chargepoint you must own your house or flat, have a dedicated parking space and the required permissions from the managing agent or freeholder(s). As you can see above there are some considerations at hand before you install an EV chargepoint. We can walk you through these with a free survey of your property to establish the best options for you.

Yes. Ultra Rapid and Rapid (aka super chargers), Fast and slow are four main types of EV charging points, though only rapid and fast are recommended. - Ultra Rapid & Rapid chargers can mainly be found at service stations along the motorway and various public locations, such as cities and busy towns where the facility is particularly required during a journey. As an example of charge time, the Tesla Supercharger can take just 15 minutes to charge the vehicle up to a 200 mile range (around 80% of the battery). - Fast chargers are the most common type of charger available. They are used for home and business location charging. Installation of fast chargers enables people to charge their vehicles within a matter of hours. The number of hours of course depends on the vehicle and charge point rating (eg. 7kW, 11kW or 22kW), but typically fast chargers will charge vehicles from 0-100% within 6-12 hours. - Slow chargers are deemed as an emergency case use only. They take a much longer time to charge than using a fast charger and are not a long term solution due to increasing the likelihood of an overload on the sockets in your house.

There are two types of EV charger plugs: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 is the standard type in the UK and the rest of Europe. Although dependent on the vehicle, Type 2 generally provides a higher range of charging per hour, is more compatible with public charging stations and more secure.

To summarise the four different charging modes for charging electric cars here’s each one. - Mode 1 charging is where an EV is charged with AC (alternating current) from a regular power socket (generally not advised) - Mode 2 also charges an EV with AC in a similar fashion but provides a level of shock protection (via a mobile charging station) for your home and vehicle - Mode 3 is the most common form and involves charging and EV with AC but with a stationary (hardwired) wallbox/ home charger - Mode 4 is usually found on motorways. It’s different because it supplies DC (direct current) from the charging station to the vehicle, rather than being converted in the vehicle