Why offices need workplace EV charging in 2026
Three forces are driving workplace EV charging from a nice-to-have to a competitive necessity for UK office occupiers in 2026:
- Employee recruitment. Engineering, tech, and professional-services hires increasingly expect workplace charging — particularly in regions where home charging access is constrained (urban flats, on-street parking).
- Salary sacrifice EV uptake. Schemes through Octopus, Zenith, Tusker, and others offer employees 20-40% effective cost reduction on leased EVs via salary sacrifice. Employee EV adoption typically reaches 25-40% within 3 years where the workplace supports charging.
- Corporate ESG and Scope 3 emissions. Workplace EV charging shifts employee commuting from petrol/diesel to grid (and ideally on-site solar) electricity, reducing Scope 3 emissions disclosed under GHG Protocol and CDP.
The OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles administers the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) providing grant funding to UK businesses installing EV chargers at workplaces.
- Grant value: £350 per socket, up to 40 sockets maximum per applicant business across all sites (£14,000 max total)
- Eligibility: Any business with off-street parking. Public sector, charities, and SMEs all qualify.
- Hardware: OZEV-approved models from approved manufacturers (publicly listed)
- Installer: OZEV-approved installer required (we are approved)
- Process: Voucher application via OZEV portal, installer commissions chargers, voucher redeemed by installer as discount on invoice
- Time limit: Voucher must be redeemed within 4 months of installation
Solar + EV integration economics
A worked example: a 4,000 sqm Reading office with 60 parking spaces.
Solar only (240 kWp): Capex £204k, annual generation 221k kWh, self-consumption 76%, annual benefit £55k, payback 3.7 years.
Solar + 12 × 22 kW chargers: Combined capex £244,800 (£40,800 EV net of OZEV grant); EV charging revenue £37,400/year at £0.18/kWh × 8,000 sessions × 12 chargers × 22 kWh avg; solar self-consumption rises to 88%, annual benefit £63k; total annual benefit £100,400; payback 2.4 years.
The integrated case delivers 1.3-year better payback and nearly doubles total annual benefit.
What workplace EV charging actually requires
Beyond the chargers themselves:
- Power capacity. 22 kW per socket on three-phase = ~32 A per phase. 12 chargers need 264 kVA incoming supply.
- Cable runs. Trenching from switchroom to parking, plus surface ducting in car park.
- Charge management software. Load-balanced control essential. Throttles charger output during peak demand to avoid tripping main supply. We use Monta, ChargePoint, or equivalent.
- Payment systems. RFID access control, employee vs visitor billing, payroll integration for employee benefit accounting.
- Network connectivity. 4G or wired LAN to each charger for software updates and remote diagnostics.
Solar carport — the parking opportunity
For offices with significant surface parking, solar carports turn wasted tarmac into both solar generation and weather-protected EV charging. Typical 60-space car park supports 200-400 kWp of canopy PV at £1,200-£1,500 per kWp installed (higher than rooftop due to structure cost). EV chargers integrate beneath the canopy for combined "charge from sunshine" customer-facing narrative.
Common workplace EV charging questions
What is the Workplace Charging Scheme?
A UK government grant administered by OZEV providing £350 per socket up to a maximum of 40 sockets per applicant business (£14,000 max). Any business with off-street parking is eligible. Chargers must be from an OZEV-approved installer using approved hardware.
How does pairing EV charging with solar improve economics?
Three effects: (1) midweek daytime EV charging absorbs solar generation that would otherwise export at low SEG tariffs; (2) effective cost of EV charging drops to near-zero when powered from on-site solar; (3) self-consumption of the solar installation rises 8-15 percentage points, improving overall solar payback.
How much power do workplace chargers need?
Typical workplace charger is 22 kW (three-phase). 12 chargers = 264 kW of nominal demand if all charging simultaneously. Load-balanced charge management software is essential — throttles individual charger output during peak demand events to avoid tripping the building's main supply.
What about salary sacrifice EV schemes?
Schemes through Octopus, Zenith, Tusker, and others offer employees 20-40% effective cost reduction on a leased EV via salary sacrifice. Pairing the workplace charging facility with a salary sacrifice scheme typically lifts employee EV adoption rates to 25-40% within 3 years. We don't run salary sacrifice schemes ourselves but refer customers to major UK providers.