Electric vehicle charging

Some of the benefits of electric vehicle (EV) charging include: 

• supporting the change to zero emission vehicles and helping the environment 
• help for local residents who don’t have their own chargers or private parking 
• attracting more visitors to your area who can use other facilities at your building/community. 

Electric charging for communities 

Parish councils who want to operate EV charge points themselves will need to have General Power of Competence to charge customers for energy used by the EV charge points. 

Chargers can be installed in: 

• village halls 
• community building car parks  
• public car parks that are open 24 hours and are within walking distance of homes - (the car park will need to have at least 2 parking spaces for EV charging.) 
• near to an electricity supply (usually this is the building, which can help keep installation costs down).

Find out more about installing a community EV charge point in this video made by Steeple Morden Parish Council.

Types of chargers 

The following charge times are from an empty battery life to 80% charge of a 60kWh battery. 

Fast chargers  

Fast chargers will be the most suitable speed for communities looking to serve residents and visitors, giving a balance between charging speed and cost.  

Rapid chargers  

Due to their increased power, rapid chargers often need costly and long-winded upgrades to your electricity connection. They’re suited for places where visitors don’t spend a long period of time and need a quick solution, like motorway services.  

Slow chargers  

Slow chargers are suited for home use or for places where EV drivers visit regularly. This allows them to charge for a long period of time but in a low-cost way when they won’t need use of the vehicle.  

Funding options

Own and Operate Model  

In this model you buy the charger and find an installer. Some charger operators will offer the charger and find you an approved installer. Others will offer some of these services, but not all. You will be responsible for:

• back-office software which runs the charger, takes payments, and reports faults 
• transaction processing fee, often between 5 to 10% per transaction 
• maintenance packages, sometimes offered by charger manufacturers and operators 
• SIM card subscription to connect to the 4G network without Wi-Fi. 

This model provides: 

• more flexibility and control in the choice of charger and back-office system 
• more freedom in setting your tariff for EV charge point users to cover your costs 
• a greater choice of where to install the charger 

Third-Party Funded Operating Model  

Charge point operators offer a complete or partly funded operating model for community chargers. These operators take on the chargers' cost, risk, and management.  

• some providers pay the bays' owners a monthly rental fee but take any profit from charger use 
• others are run on a community benefit basis and funded through community shares. But, certain locations are only eligible if they suit the provider's business model. Locations may be ineligible where you have less control over the type of charger, the tariff, and any income. 

Prices will vary depending on the type of charger. We recommend getting at least 3 different quotes.