Another scheme that the government has introduced to encourage businesses and individuals to switch is the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) which all business owners should be aware of.
What is the WCS?
So, what exactly is the WCS? This scheme is offered by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) and reduces both the purchase and installation costs of a new workplace electric vehicle charging station by 75% and up to £14,000. A single business is able to claim up to 40 charge points as of April 2020 and it is an intelligent move for any business which will also encourage staff to make the switch.
Benefits
The main benefits of the WCS for businesses are that you are able to save over £1,000 annually in commercial fleet and employee fuel costs per 10,000 miles, you can reduce employee “benefit in kind” tax for company cars and utilising a green fleet of vehicles will help you to reach sustainability goals, reduce impact ad improve your brand reputation. The WCS is also useful for employees and encourages them to make the switch as it provides them with a convenient charging point and the ability to charge all day while they are at work.
Applying
Any business can apply for the scheme but you must have sufficient off-street parking, you will need to express an existing or future need for the company and you will need to have the charging station installed by an OLEV-approved installer. It is a voucher-based system which involves filling out an online application after which you will be emailed a voucher code if approved which can be presented to the OLEV-approved installer.
Home Charging
In addition to charging at work, employees can also benefit from the electric vehicle home charge scheme (EVHS) which again provides grant funding for up to 75% of the cost of installing charging points at domestic properties in the UK and is another huge incentive for people to make the switch. With charging points both at home and at the office, workers would not have to worry so much about using charging points while out and about and range anxiety is less prevalent.
Plug-In Grant
Another incentive for making the switch is the plug-in grant which allows people to enjoy a discount on the purchase of a brand new low-emission vehicle, including motorcycles. This makes switching much more enticing as it lowers the running and purchase costs and you can then find affordable multibike insurance through specialists like Carole Nash.
There are many benefits of making the switch to electric vehicles for both businesses and employees, plus the various government grants and schemes can make it cost-effective and easy so it is certainly something that both business owners and individuals should be looking into as the electric vehicle revolution gathers pace.