How much EV Charging Capacity is needed?

The number of EV’s on the road is growing very quickly and the demand for EV Charging capacity is growing with it.  Installing charging points will add to the attractiveness of your premises both as a place to visit and to work.  The question is not so much how much EV Capacity to plan for (it almost certainly won’t be enough) but how much practical capacity you can add.

Government policy is to encourage growth in charging capacity via The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).  This is a voucher-based scheme that provides support towards the up-front costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle charge-points, for eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations. For more information click here.

Finding the Right OLEV Approved Installer

To qualify for a grant you will need a qualified electricians like Benchmark EV Charging who are OLEV Approved Installer .

To qualify for an OLEV grant (worth as much as £14,000) you will need a qualified electricians like Benchmark EV Charging who are OLEV Certified Installers who will be responsible for ensuring you meet the terms and conditions of the scheme when applying for the grant (unauthorised installers cannot claim the grant on your behalf). OLEV Certified Installers are qualified electricians who have trained in EVSE standards and are approved by the charge point manufacturer/s to install their products. For more information about grants click here

Load Balancing & Safety

Charging EVs adds to the demand for electricity at your premises and on the wider location with whom you share your electricity supply. The usage of your neighbours as well as your own needs to be taken into account and increasingly it will be necessary “smooth out” the demand away from usage peaks and to take steps to ensure that the available power is spread equitably, we refer to this as “load balancing”.

The more EV Chargers you add,  the greater the current going through the circuitry and it is important to make the necessary modification to be sure your electric cabling, sockets and the safety equipment will be able to carry the additional load and that there are adequate safety cut‐outs in place. This will prevent overloading the that could result in a fire.

Benchmark EV Charging are highly experience Commercial/Industrial electricians and will assess and implement the modifications  are required to comply with safety regulations and for load balancing.

Benchmark will also inform the the District Network Operator the details of your installation and the additional anticipated load.

‘Intelligent’ and ‘Smart’ charging

Benchmark have selected GARO the Nordic region’s market leading manufacturer and supplier of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles as their preferred supplier for businesses.

The comprehensive range available offers outstanding charging solutions for any organisation and have completed installations across a number of high profile organisations and facilities including Facebook, Volvo and McDonalds, Universities, County Council Offices, Shopping Centres, Utilities etc as well as on highways, service stations and at airport carparks.

All charge points allow for  ‘intelligent’ charge scheduling,  allowing your EV to be preset to charge overnight to take advantage of off‐peak electricity tariffs.  Using the mobile phone “App” charging can  be managed and monitored remotely so that you change settings or to switch charging on or off from anywhere without needing to be present. The charge points can also understand and respond to signals from energy system operators etc indicating the best times to charge.