Business

Workplace Charging Scheme

A complete guide covering what the Workplace Charging Scheme is, how it works and how you can use it to reduce the cost of installing electric car charging points for your business.

date11 Nov 2025
date15 Sep 2026
date6 min read
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Summary

The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) is a grant that businesses can use to reduce the cost of installing electric vehicle charge points for their staff.

  • The WCS grant is capped at £500 per charge point socket up to a maximum of 40 sockets per applicant business.
  • The UK Government has extended the WCS grant for a further and final year, now closing on 31st March 2027.
  • It's available to any businesses, charity, public authority, or small accommodation business with some conditions.
  • The grant is provided by the government's Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV).
Smart Charge

Tip: Pod provides some of the UK's top companies with Workplace EV Charging and helps you through the application process.

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)?

  • The WCS reduces the purchase and installation cost of a new workplace charging station (single socket) by 75% (capped at £500 per socket)
  • A single business can claim for up to a maximum of 40 sockets (e.g. 40 single socket or 20 double socket charge points).
  • You can only claim the WCS for new charge points which will be installed after the date the voucher is issued.
Smart Charge

The WCS has funded over 65,000 charging sockets in workplaces since its introduction in 2022.

How do I qualify for the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS)?

The WCS is available to any business, charity, or public authority with some conditions including the following:

  • You must have sufficient off-street parking which is only used by staff or the fleet and which must be either on-site or a reasonable distance from the place of work.
  • While you do not need to currently have electric vehicles as part of your fleet, you will need to express an existing or future need for the business.
  • You must have the charging station installed by an OZEV-approved WCS installer like Pod.

Small accommodation businesses and charitable organisations have recently been added to the WCS grant. These may be defined as:

  • Hotels and similar accommodation.
  • Holiday and other short-stay accommodation.
  • Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks, and trailer parks.

For small accommodation businesses or charitable organisations there are no restrictions on who can use the designated off-street parking.

How does the Workplace Charging Scheme work?

The WCS is a voucher based system.

  • First you complete an online application.
  • If successful, you will be emailed a voucher code which you can then present to your OZEV-approved installer (like Pod). Your installer will then use it to claim the grant after the installation is complete.
  • The voucher code is valid for 180 days from the date of issue.
Smart Charge

Tip: Pod installed 67 EV chargepoints at Skanska's UK office for their employees and visitors through the Workplace Charging Scheme.

What are the benefits of electric car charging stations for businesses?

Workplace charging is ideal, because cars are parked there for long periods (e.g. employee vehicles during work hours, fleet vehicles overnight), providing a meaningful charge from low cost EV charging points.

  • You can save more than £1,000 a year in commercial fleet and employee fuel costs per 10,000 miles.
  • You can offer electric vehicle charging to your employees.
  • You can reduce employee “benefit in kind” tax for company cars.
  • A green fleet can help reduce CO2 emissions and reach sustainability goals.

Get in touch to discuss how Workplace charging can benefit your business.

Smart Charge

Tip: Workplace charging is a great perk and is increasingly seen as a valuable tool for employee attraction and retention. It is also hugely valuable for the charging of electric cars and encouraging more people to drive them.

How do I claim the Workplace Charging Scheme with Pod?

Pod is an OZEV-approved installer.

To reduce the cost of your Workplace charge point, all you need to do is get in touch and our team of experts will help you through the process of claiming the grant.

What is the EV chargepoint grant for state-funded schools?

This grant is available for state-funded schools, colleges, and nurseries to get up to 75% off the costs on buying and installing electric car charge points. 

Applications before 1 April 2026 will remain eligible for £2,500 per socket if vouchers are redeemed before 30 September 2026.

  • The updated grant (for applications from 1 April 2026) is capped at £2,000 per charging socket and a maximum of 40 sockets across all sites, including previous applications made through the Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).
  • This grant closes on 31 March 2027.
  • If successful, the installation must be completed within 180 days from receipt of the voucher.
  • Applicants must use an authorised EV chargepoint installer and install authorised chargers for commercial use. 

For more information please see our dedicated state-funded school grant landing page.
About the author
Rory Duncan Headshot

Rory Duncan

VP of Commercial

Rory Duncan is Vice President of Commercial Sales at Pod, a leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions. He has been with the business since early 2017 and has played a key role in its commercial growth.

With extensive experience in the EV charging sector, Rory has led the development and management of Pod’s strategic partnerships, working with major organisations including Tesco, Lidl, Landsec, British Land, and the Kingfisher Group. In his current role, he oversees Pod’s Workplace Charging and Homebuilder Charging sales functions, supporting organisations and developers in accelerating the transition to electric vehicles through the delivery of market leading charging infrastructure.

Read more

Rory Duncan is Vice President of Commercial Sales at Pod, a leading provider of electric vehicle charging solutions. He has been with the business since early 2017 and has played a key role in its commercial growth.

With extensive experience in the EV charging sector, Rory has led the development and management of Pod’s strategic partnerships, working with major organisations including Tesco, Lidl, Landsec, British Land, and the Kingfisher Group. In his current role, he oversees Pod’s Workplace Charging and Homebuilder Charging sales functions, supporting organisations and developers in accelerating the transition to electric vehicles through the delivery of market leading charging infrastructure.

Read more
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