Firms should take advantage of the government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS), to prevent low electric vehicle take up under their company car schemes or salary sacrifice, says Volkswagen Financial Services Fleet (VWFS). The company surveyed 197 fleet operators and found that 34% of respondents said a lack of local charging points for those employees unable to charge at home will significantly impact their staff EV uptake.
Under the WCS scheme organisations can receive grants towards the upfront cost of purchasing and installing charge points. It reduces the cost of a new workplace charging station by 75% and businesses can claim up to a maximum of 40 charge points. As of July 2021, the WCS had funded 16,975 sockets. Emma Loveday, senior fleet consultant at VWFS Fleet, said: “We’d strongly encourage businesses to take advantage of the Workplace Charging Scheme and invest in charging infrastructure sooner rather than later. While the home charge point grant ended earlier this year, the WCS is still open to applications and this can be a huge help to employers looking to encourage EV uptake amongst staff. Especially if you have a cohort of employees that don’t have off-street parking, and therefore access to home charging.”
Ahead of the UK government’s 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, the growth of the EV market is expected to accelerate in the coming years. Businesses can look to futureproof and improve charging access for their employees who may not have access to a home charge point. “For these employees, workplace charging could become their most frequent, or primary way to charge, making an electric vehicle a viable choice and enabling them to complete journeys with confidence. Having reliable, available and accessible workplace charging infrastructure will demonstrate your organisation’s commitment to EV adoption, and its wider commitment to sustainability,” Loveday added.
In addition, as electricity is not classed as vehicle fuel by HMRC, there are no BIK tax implications if an organisation wishes to provide free charging to employees as a work incentive or to increase EV uptake among workers
