Although we may all be in a state of flux with the current pandemic situation, it will come to an end and many of us will look back on how we spent our time. All of us are in differing situations and as electrical contract specialists we’re still able to have many of our engineers working on projects around Peterborough, Cambridge and the surrounding region.
One particular focus is Electric Vehicle Charging Points. You’ve probably heard that electric vehicles are on the increase and many manufacturers are committing to ridding their ranges of internal combustion engines altogether in favour of the cleaner and more planet friendly hybrids and fully electric vehicles. Whether you’re a petrol head or favour electric, they’re becoming more and more prolific.
As an OLEV registered installer, at Optimum Electrics we’re receiving more and more enquiries for, and questions about, EV charging points for the home and for business, so we thought you might appreciate a brief update on what’s available to you.
Very simply, the Government wants more EV’s on our roads so has made grant funding available via the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). As from the 1st April this year grant funding was reduced from £500 per unit to £350 per unit (including VAT). The reduction is so that more people can benefit from the grants. It is estimated that some 57,000 can now benefit, up from 30,000.
Two more key changes to the scheme are that larger electric motorbikes are now eligible, whereas before it was only cars and vans. Also, the number of charging units available under the grand funding scheme for businesses has been doubled from 20 to 40.
The same conditions apply to businesses regarding other criteria.
· You must have off road parking.
· Only OLEV approved charging points can be installed.
· The date of installation cannot be more than 4 months before either the delivery of an electric vehicle or becoming the registered owner of an EV.
· You must use an OLEV approved installation specialist like Optimum Electrics Ltd.
Inevitably, the grant funding will be used up and will disappear altogether at some point, however, whilst it’s available, our customers are making good use of it, perhaps you could too.
If you have any questions about Electric Vehicle Charging Points please contact us and we’ll be happy to help.