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EvieLife FAQ'S
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How much does an EV charger installation cost?It will depend on the type of charger you want and how far the charger is from your fuse box. Initially we would complete an online remote or physical site visit with you before we send you an estimate. As an example, a standard 3.5KW charger, like a Rolec Homesmart EV, with limited groundworks, would cost around £750. Remember, you are likely to be eligible for a OZEV grant of £350 which will be taken off your final bill, making the total you pay £400. Check here to see if you are eligible.
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Am I eligible for a grant?Millions of pounds have been made available to businesses and homeowners in the UK through the OZEV Grant from the government. Worth £350 per installation (max. two per residential customer or 40 per business) we can determine if you are eligible. Do you have off-street parking or a designated parking bay? Did you purchase your EV after October 2016 or do you have a proof of purchase / order for an EV? Are you happy to install and use an OZEV approved electric car charging point? The installation is within the UK If you have answered yes to all of the above, then you will be eligible for the grant. Grants can be used for a home or workplace electric vehicle installation.
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Do I have to prepare anything to have an EV charger installed?Possibly, but certainly not in every case. Our remote or physical site visit will determine if you need to have any groundworks done before we install the charger. The location of the fuse box verses the location of the EV charger will be the biggest factor.
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Do you come and do a site visit?Yes, one of our certified and assured electricians will need to do a remote or physical site visit before we install.
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Do I need to prepare any groundwork before you install?Possibly, but certainly not in every case. Our installers will be able to a small amount of groundwork if required, but if your driveway needs to be dug up, we would need additional help before installing the charger. Our remote or physical site visit will determine if you need to have any groundworks done before we install the charger. The location of the fuse box verses the location of the EV charger will be the biggest factor.
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Is there a warranty for the charger?If the charger is part of the OZEV Scheme the warrenty will be 3 years. If the charger is not part of the OZEV scheme the warrenty will be 1 year. Homesmart EV = 3 years EV Ready = 12 months Superfast = 12 months The warranty on the labour and intsalation is 12 months.
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How long does an installation take?Depending on the complexity of the location of the charger in relation to the fuse box, the installation will take from 4 hours up to 3 days.
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What qualifications, insurances and certificates do you have?"Our EV charger installation team has over 20 years of experience in the industry, working in all fields from basic domestic installation and large refurbishments to concrete batching plants and grain driers. Our engineers are qualified to supply and fit domestic, commercial and work-based charging and are certified with Napit, Rolec EV and OZEV. Rolec EV is a division of Rolec Services specialising in the design and manufacture of a comprehensive range of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions. We have partnered with Rolec EV because they offer quality products at competitive prices.
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Do you offer charger upgrades?We do. If we have already installed your original charger, we will automatically knock 5% off your bill when you decide you would like to upgrade your charger.
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What is Type 1, Type 2 and mode 3?"Type 1: The type 1 plug is a single-phase plug which allows for charging power levels of up to 7.4 kW (230 V, 32 A). The standard is mainly used in car models from the Asian region, and is rare in Europe, which is why there are very few public type 1 charging stations. Type 2: The triple-phase plug’s main area of distribution is Europe, and is considered to be the standard model. In private spaces, charging power levels of up to 22 kW are common, while charging power levels of up to 43 kW (400 V, 63 A, AC) can be used at public charging stations. Most public charging stations are equipped with a type 2 socket. All mode 3 charging cables can be used with this, and electric cars can be charged with both type 1 and type 2 plugs. All mode 3 cables on the sides of charging stations have so-called Mennekes plugs (type 2). Mode 3: The mode 3 charging cable is a connector cable between the charging station and the electric car. In Europe, the type 2 plug has been set as the standard. To allow electric cars to be charged using type 1 and type 2 plugs, charging stations are usually equipped with a type 2 socket. To charge your electric car, you require either a mode 3 charging cable from type 2 to type 2 (e.g. for the Renault ZOE) or a mode 3 charging cable from type 2 to type 1 (e.g. for the Nissan Leaf). Reference - https://www.mobilityhouse.com/
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What are the tax advantages for my business owning electric vehicles?Employer Savings Benefit-in-Kind and Class 1A National Insurance Savings An employer must pay Class 1A National Insurance (currently set at 13.8%) on a company vehicle’s benefit-in-kind value. Considerable savings can be achieved by choosing a low or zero emissions plug-in vehicle over an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle. Capital Allowances on Electric Cars Vehicles with CO2 emissions of less than 50g/km are eligible for 100% first year capital allowances. This means with electric cars you may deduct the full cost from your pre-tax profits and there are no restrictions on the value of the vehicle. On a car costing around £40,000 this could amount to a tax relief of £7,600 in the first year. Capital Allowances on Electric Charging Points During March 2021’s budget, a new capital allowance ‘super-deduction’ was announced. This is a 130% first-year allowance that permits businesses to deduct 130% of the full cost of a qualifying asset from its profits before tax in the year of purchase. EV chargers, and the costs directly associated with their installation, qualify. Congestion Charge Exemptions Electric vehicles are exempt from a congestion charge tax. The current congestion tax in London costs £11.50 per day per vehicle between 07:00 and 18:00, Monday to Friday. If a company car is travelling in areas where clean air zones exist or are about to be introduced, then this adds to the tax savings of electric driving over the year. Road Tax on Electric Cars Now that vehicle road tax, or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), is based on carbon dioxide emissions, the rates for all pure-electric vehicles have been reduced to £0 until at least 2025. There are reduced VED rates (between £0-£135) for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Careful Planning The government has announced the tax rate for the next four years, helping businesses to plan ahead. The electric car tax benefit-in-kind rate is 1% in 2021/2022 and will increase to 2% in 2022/2023, remaining fixed for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025. Government Grants The government’s plug-in car grant is designed to promote the uptake of electric vehicles in the UK. From 18 March 2021 the government will provide grants of up to £2,500 towards the cost of an eligible plug-in vehicle where it costs less than £35,000. The plug-in car grant applies at the time of purchase and is usually given as a discount off the purchase price of a vehicle. The vehicle must have an electric range of at least 70 miles. If plug-in hybrid, the vehicle must also have combined CO2 emissions of 50g/km or less. This means all major full battery electric vehicles (BEVs) qualify, but few PHEVs are eligible. Grant for small vans is £3,000 (less than 2,500 kg gross vehicle weight) and for large vans £6,000 (between 2,500 kg and 3,500 kg gross vehicle weight).
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What are the tax advantages for me owning an electric vehicle?Employee Savings Benefit-in-Kind on Company Cars Company car tax, officially known as Benefit-in-Kind Tax (BIK), is calculated using the P11D value (list price) of the vehicle, its CO2 tailpipe emissions and the employee’s income tax band. To encourage ever greener cars, HMRC has strategically increased BIK rates on petrol and diesel vehicles and introduced lower BIK rates for the more fuel efficient, electric vehicle. This movement has saved businesses and employees thousands of pounds in tax. What are the Savings? New rates were introduced on 6 April 2020 and calculate the company car taxable benefit based on the ‘electric range’ of the vehicle, in combination with its level of CO2 emissions. Where a vehicle can run more than 130 miles on battery power alone, whilst producing between zero and 50g/km of carbon dioxide, the BIK rate for the 2021/22 tax year has been set at 1% and 2% for the 2022/2023 tax year. To put this into context, a standard diesel or petrol vehicle would invite a BIK rate of approximately 37%, costing a typical business driver around £400 a month as oppossed to appoximately £10 a month for an electric vehicle. Workplace Charging Tax Exemptions There is no benefit-in-kind charge for employees charging their own cars at a workplace charging station – even where there is private use of the car. For this tax exemption to apply, the charging facilities must be provided at or near the workplace, which is the same requirement that applies to tax-free workplace parking. This tax exemption does not apply if the employer reimburses the costs of charging the employee’s own vehicle away from the workplace, such as at a motorway service station. Privately-Owned Electric Cars Where the employer pays for the cost of charging the company-provided electric vehicle there is no taxable fuel benefit for the driver, as electricity is not classified as a fuel for the car or van benefit regulations. Where the driver of the electric vehicle pays for the electricity to power it, either from their domestic supply or by charging at a roadside station, the employer may reimburse the employee for that cost. With a roadside charge it is easy to see what the total cost is, but it is not so easy to calculate the cost per mile when charging from a domestic supply. This problem has now been solved, as the employer can pay the company car driver 4p per mile, to reimburse them for the cost of the electricity used for business journeys with no tax implications. This rate only applies to company-owned electric cars, not to private vehicles. Employee Home Charging Tax Exemptions Should an employer pay for all (or some) of the installation cost, including the cost of the charging point (less Government Grant), of a vehicle charging point at the employee’s home, there is no benefit-in-kind implications to be considered. Government Grants To help private plug-in vehicle owners offset some of the upfront cost of the purchase and installation of a dedicated domestic recharging unit, the government offers the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS). From 1 April 2020, customers who are the registered keeper, lessee or have primary user of an eligible electric vehicle can receive up to 75% (capped at £350) off the total capital costs of the charge point and associated installation costs.
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What's the difference between a single phase and three phase electricity supply?Three phase and single phase are electricity supplies and it’s the amount of power that is different. A single phase supply is smaller and most domestic houses with gas central heating need single phase and have this as standard. If you require two or more electricity meters then you need a three phase supply. To be entirely sure if you need a three phase electricity supply, we recommend that you speak to a qualified electrician first who will be able to assess all the equipment you will be running and determine how much power you need. The best way to tell if a property has a three phase supply is by looking at the electrical fuse (sometimes called electricity supply, service head, cut out). Typically a single phase will have one fuse and a three phase will have three 100amp fuses. Ref - Uk Power Networks
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