Can your fleet apply for the Depot Charging Scheme?

The Depot Charging Scheme is not currently open to applications. The official listing expects a further window from 28 October 2026, with its terms and grant rates still unconfirmed [S1]. The earlier window offered 70% support for eligible chargepoint and civil costs, capped at £1 million [S2]. Do not assume those rates carry forward. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

What is depot charging?

Depot charging means replenishing fleet vehicles where they return or park between duties. The Depot Charging Scheme supports charging infrastructure for battery-electric commercial vehicles rather than ordinary customer parking [S1].

The practical design starts with vehicle movements. An overnight van fleet needs a different charging schedule from a vehicle returning briefly between shifts. Energy Saving Trust discusses AC options for overnight depot charging and rapid charging for vehicles with limited downtime [S3].

A kilowatt (kW) measures power; a kilowatt hour (kWh) measures energy. For an assumed requirement of 30 kWh over an assumed six-hour parking window, average delivered power is 30 ÷ 6 = 5 kW before losses. Use each vehicle’s required energy and departure deadline, not only the total number of parking bays.

Read AC versus DC charging alongside your dispatch plan.

Is the Depot Charging Scheme open, and what is the deadline?

The official listing says applications are currently closed. It expects the next window to open on 28 October 2026 and close on 29 January 2027, with delivery by 31 March 2028. It says the next phase’s terms and grant rates remain unconfirmed [S1].

The listing also carries a later date in its header than the closure stated in its detailed application text. Use the explicit “not currently open” instruction and recheck the application route before committing expenditure [S1]. Do not read the header as proof that an application can be submitted.

This is a preparation sequence, not confirmation that your business will receive support. We do not present the expected next window as already open.

Who can apply for the Depot Charging Scheme?

The published conditions cover UK organisations with a UK depot they own or lease and a fleet including, or planning to include, a battery-electric van, heavy goods vehicle (HGV) or coach. They require the organisation and fleet to have operated in the UK for at least a year, senior approval and participation in monitoring [S1].

Use these as screening checks, then read the next window’s conditions. Prepare your vehicle plan and tenure evidence before incurring costs. The listing says eligible expenditure must follow the signed funding agreement [S1]. An application alone does not authorise spending against an award.

How much is the Depot Charging Scheme grant?

The government’s earlier funding announcement described support covering up to 70% of eligible costs, capped at £1 million [S2]. Those figures describe the earlier offer. Do not price a future project on the assumption that the next round repeats it.

As a historical-rate illustration only, assume £100,000 of costs accepted as eligible. Applying 70% gives £70,000 support and £30,000 remaining eligible cost, before any ineligible expenditure. This is arithmetic explaining the earlier rate, not a grant estimate for the next window [S2].

Ask for a quotation split between charging hardware, electrical works, civils, network connection, monitoring and ongoing costs. A total project price is not automatically the eligible grant base.

Do not reduce the host capital in a payback model until both the award and its eligible scope are established. Keep a no-grant case available if the application fails or delivery cannot meet the award conditions.

What does fleet depot charging cost and return under each funding model?

For a private fleet, the main value may be avoided external charging expenditure, not driver sales revenue. This is an illustration, not a quote. All numerical inputs below are assumptions, with no grant included.

AC means alternating current. These outlets assume a suitable three-phase supply and vehicles able to accept the selected output; Energy Saving Trust identifies those checks for 22 kW charging [S3].

Annual delivered energy = sessions/day × 30 × 250. Net project value = annual energy × (£0.55 − £0.25) − £2,000. The energy price includes an assumed loss allowance. The external price is an assumed counterfactual, not a quoted public tariff.

Part funded assumes host capital of £50,000–£70,000 and a 60% share of annual net project value.

ROI = host annual net benefit ÷ host capital × 100. Payback = host capital ÷ host annual net benefit. Fully funded host income is £700 / £1,600 / £2,500 a year at the assumed 10% share.

That fully funded payment requires a contract allocating the remaining project value to the provider. It is not a published commercial offer. Do not add all avoided external charging expenditure to the host payment: the provider must recover its share through the agreement. Actual fleet service contracts may instead offer a charging tariff.

Fully funded means the provider pays for, owns and operates the equipment. Part funded shares capital. Self funded puts capital and operating risk with your business. Grant eligibility must be checked for the proposed ownership structure; none of these illustrations establishes eligibility.

The model excludes vehicle purchase, finance, tax, VAT, insurance, replacement, downtime and unpriced connection upgrades. It is not a diesel-to-electric fleet comparison. Use the charger ROI guide to refine it.

What should your application and site survey contain?

Prepare vehicle numbers and types, planned electric vehicle introductions, energy requirements and departure times. Pair those with the electrical design, parking plan, quotations and proposed delivery programme. The scheme listing supplies the required supporting templates [S1].

Ask your distribution network operator (DNO), the local electricity network company, about available connection capacity through your installer. Obtain a design that tests simultaneous building and charging loads. Read load management versus a grid upgrade before accepting an upgrade as the only option.

For a leased depot, have your solicitor check installation rights, access, liability, removal and exit obligations. Record who pays maintenance, electricity and any business rates assessment. An award does not resolve those terms.

Workplace support is a separate route: current WCS guidance caps support at £500 per socket and 40 sockets per applicant [S4]. Check eligibility through the Workplace Charging Scheme guide without overlapping funded activities.

Tax relief is another separate check. HMRC gives chargepoint first-year allowance expiry dates of 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax [S5]. Read chargepoint capital allowances and check with your accountant.

What should you do next?

Collect your fleet schedule, electricity data and site tenure details. You can get matched with an installer that covers your area to prepare an itemised scope before assessing the next application window.

Piggy Pineapple Ltd operates this referral service. We refer enquiries to installer partners and may be paid a fee. Our owner holds shares in at least one partner. Before passing on details, we name the proposed partner and disclose whether our owner holds shares in it.