Looks Can Be Deceiving: Why the New ‘40% increase’ EV Charging Grants for Flats Is Neither Useful Nor Safe
At first glance, the government’s recent announcement increasing the EV chargepoint grant to up to £500 appears to be good news for those living in apartments. Ministers say the uplift will cover “almost half the cost of installing a charger”, helping renters, flat owners and landlords access cheaper home charging and accelerate EV adoption.
Unfortunately the grant is misconceived in its new form and will devastate already lagging EV adoption among apartment dwellers whilst adoption and demand otherwise continues to accelerate.
What has changed?
Until now (and up until the end of March) those living in apartments have been able to benefit from up to £30k per building to assist with the introduction of EV infrastructure - power management systems, cabling, billing and safety controls. For thousands of residents this has enabled access to infrastructure and where installed has triggered a surge in EV uptake.
The proposed grant changes shatter this progress.
Rather than encouraging and financially incentising a strategic and safe approach to each properties’ infrastructure we will now see the total removal of financial support for key enabling works. Instead support only remains for individuals to proceed ad hoc to install their own charger with a nominal increase in support from £350 to £500 per installation.
The reality of EV charging in apartments
Home charging is widely recognised as the “unlock” for EV adoption. When drivers can charge where they live, costs fall dramatically and ownership becomes viable for far more households.
Yet around four million households in the UK live in apartments and multi-dwelling buildings, where installing charging infrastructure is far more complex than placing a charger on a driveway.
Under the previous grant a number of businesses, including Cosmic Charging, have been offering financial solutions to residents to help them build EV infrastructure ahead of demand. In doing so properties are installed with safe, well maintained and efficient systems. Billing, power management and ongoing management are all taken care of.
With financial support for this approach being withdrawn we anticipate a market failure in the retrofit of this infrastructure just as momentum has been picking up.
What should you do?
Ban ad hoc single unit installations.*
Write to Government to express your concern
*we appreciate that as an EV charging provider this sounds like a crazy position to take. Unfortunately in the short term it is the most pragmatic approach. Why?
Ad hoc installations risk undermining the power capacity available in the property for a later more strategic approach
Leaseholders will spend inordinate amounts of money ‘doing their own thing’ only to be reeled back when a wider view for the property is needed
Fire strategies, metering and billing and maintenance strategies will all rapidly grow in complexity and become a nightmare to unwind later
A number of large property management and freehold groups have already taken the decision to ban the installation of EV infrastructure under the new grant structure fearing that it encourages ad hoc installations that will circumvent building safety, power management, billing, lease review and fire risk requirements.
What does the future hold for EV drivers in apartments?
In the short term these grant changes look very challenging for prospective EV drivers in apartments. The vast majority will remain unable to charge cheaply and conveniently at home.
In the mid to long term this is an area of policy that simply can’t foreseeably remain in its new proposed state. With building safety, insurance and equality of access issues threaded throughout we are confident the Government will revisit this issue.
It therefore remains our advice to start working on strategies for EV infrastructure across your portfolio and to express any concerns you have for your portfolio directly to Government.
Keen to read more on this subject? Transport + Energy have just written this alongside support from our friends at Zaptec.
