A working day is plenty of time
Staff cars sit in the car park for most of the day. On a car limited to 7.4kW that adds around 25 miles of range an hour, and about 37 miles an hour at 11kW (LGA, derived).
Over a shift, most cars can fill up or come close. For many commutes, a few hours' charge covers the week.
That means a dual 22kW pedestal can serve more than two people a day. Staff can swap over at lunch, or take turns on a rota.
Why staff want it
In a Virta/Kantar survey of 1,049 UK EV drivers, 60% said workplace charging was a "must-have" or key factor in choosing where to work (Virta).
More of your staff will be driving electric over the next few years. The 2026 ZEV mandate target is 33% of new cars, rising to 80% in 2030 (DfT consultation). Staff who lease an EV through a salary-sacrifice scheme need somewhere to charge too, especially if they have no driveway at home.
For those staff, charging at work is the difference between an EV being easy and being a hassle.
Staff charging, set up your way
Staff charging works best when the rules are clear from day one. We set them up with you before switch-on.
| Choice | Typical options |
|---|---|
| Who can charge | Staff only, staff and visitors, or the public after hours |
| How they start | RFID card or the app |
| What they pay | Free, at cost, or a small margin |
| Sharing the bays | A lunchtime swap, a rota, or first come, first served |
| Records | Every session metered and logged against a card or account |
Each pedestal has two sockets, so two cars charge at once. A rota lets more staff use it across a week than there are sockets.
Agree a simple etiquette rule too, such as moving the car once it's full. Our guide to idle fees covers the options if bays start getting blocked.
How a Victus install works at a workplace
Rules for private chargers
Chargers sold for workplace use fall under the Smart Charge Points Regulations 2021 (gov.uk). They need smart functionality, off-peak default charging hours and a randomised delay, plus security requirements in force since December 2022.
Public chargers are excluded from those rules and fall under the Public Charge Point Regulations instead. Which set applies depends on who can use the charger, so we settle that before we specify the install.
Staff, visitors and the public
We'd usually start a workplace on staff-only access using RFID cards. Visitors can be given a card at reception.
Some sites open the chargers to the public in the evening and at weekends to earn from bays that would otherwise sit empty. Staff keep the bays in working hours, and the public use them when the car park would otherwise be empty.
Once the public can use them, the Public Charge Point Regulations apply. That means contactless payment on new chargers of 8kW and above, prices shown in pence per kWh and a 24/7 helpline. We can fit a contactless card terminal and run driver support, and you should check the current guidance for your site.
Public access also means drivers need to find you. Our guide to getting listed on Zapmap explains how.
Reporting and billing
You decide what staff pay. Some employers offer charging free as a benefit, some charge at cost, and some set a small margin.
The charger's built-in energy metering records each session against the RFID card or app account. The OCPP 1.6J back office keeps those records, so you can see energy used per person and how often each socket is in use.
That gives you a clear record for internal billing, for checking what a free benefit costs, or for deciding when to add another pedestal. If staff pay, we take payment through the app and run the back office.
Load management
Offices, workshops and factories use most of their power during the day, exactly when staff cars are plugged in. The charger's optional dynamic load balancing shares capacity with the building and lowers the charging rate at peak times.
That can avoid a bigger supply or keep a Northern Powergrid application small. Our load management guide explains how it works.
Which package suits a workplace
Owned & Managed usually suits a workplace best. Staff-only charging earns little public revenue, so owning the kit and controlling the tariff often matters more. You buy the chargers and installation, keep the full return, and pay us to run setup, payments, monitoring and maintenance.
There's also a tax angle for buyers. Chargepoint equipment qualifies for a 100% first-year capital allowance until 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax (HMRC). Check with your accountant how it applies to you.
Shared Investment makes more sense where the chargers will also earn from visitors or the public. You pay for installation and groundworks, we supply the chargers and run payments, back office, monitoring, maintenance and driver support, and the revenue is shared. The revenue split is agreed for your site at proposal stage. Compare both on the packages page.
If you also run company vans or pool cars, the fleet depots page covers overnight charging for those.
Honest caveats
- Lead times. Allow a typical 6–12 weeks from survey to switch-on. A supply upgrade or Northern Powergrid application can add to that.
- Public access changes the rules. Opening up after hours brings in contactless, price display and helpline duties. Decide early so we specify the right kit.
- Demand grows. Two sockets suit a handful of EV drivers. Plan cable routes for more bays now, even if you only fit one pedestal.
- New buildings. New non-residential buildings with more than 10 parking spaces need at least one chargepoint under Part S (Approved Document S).
We're based on Team Valley in Gateshead, so local workplaces are on our doorstep.
Next step
Tell us how many staff park on site and roughly how many drive electric, and we'll book a free survey. We'll check your supply, agree the access rules with you and show the costs under both packages, or you can try the revenue estimator if you plan to open the chargers to the public.