Installing EV charging points at a UK workplace

Workplace EV charging is rarely limited by the chargers themselves. The cost and programme are set by the existing supply, the distance from the board to the parking bays, and what the site expects to need in five years.

Start with a load assessment

A load assessment establishes how much spare capacity the incoming supply genuinely has, measured rather than estimated from the fuse rating. Where headroom is tight, load management can allow more sockets to share the available capacity instead of triggering a supply upgrade.

Where an upgrade is unavoidable

If the site needs more capacity than the supply can provide, an application to the Distribution Network Operator is required. Lead times are measured in months, not weeks, so this decision belongs at the start of the project rather than after the chargers are ordered.

Civils usually cost more than the chargers

Trenching, ducting, reinstatement and cable containment across a car park often exceed the hardware cost. Routing the infrastructure once, with spare ducts for later phases, is far cheaper than returning to dig the same ground twice.

Billing, access and reporting

Decide early whether charging is free to staff, reimbursed, or billed. Back-office platforms handle authentication, tariffs and usage reporting, and the choice affects the hardware specification and the data connection at each unit.

Handover

Expect installation certification, load management configuration records, commissioning evidence and an agreed maintenance regime. Charging equipment that is not maintained is charging equipment that quietly stops working.