How do you charge electric vans at trade premises?

Plan charging around when your vans return, their next departure and the energy each route uses. A trade yard needs a workable parking and plug-in routine before it needs faster equipment. The Workplace Charging Scheme offers up to £500 per eligible socket [S1], subject to its conditions. Confirm supply capacity and permissions before ordering. Checked October 2026.

Last checked 16 October 2026

Where will your electric vans charge overnight?

Start with the actual parking location of each van. Separate vehicles returning to your yard from those taken home by staff. Add return time, departure time and the next job’s energy requirement. A vehicle count alone leaves out whether you can reach its socket after the yard has filled with deliveries.

Government van research asked operators about overnight locations, charging hours and plug-in frequency. It also records difficulties with public charging and home arrangements. Its sample was not nationally representative, so use those findings as prompts for your own checks, rather than a prediction of your fleet’s behaviour. [S2]

Walk the yard with your drivers. Mark loading areas, long vehicles, trailers, gates and pedestrian routes. Ask who holds the keys when a vehicle must move. Put charging bays where a plugged-in van will not block the first delivery of the morning. Keep a separate plan for hired vans and unexpected overnight visitors.

Read depot charging sizing when turning that parking map into a charging schedule.

Will overnight charging replace the energy your routes use?

Kilowatts (kW) measure charging power. Kilowatt-hours (kWh) measure energy. Use the energy you need to replace and the time the van is actually available. Do not size the installation solely from a vehicle’s advertised maximum charging power.

For an illustration, assume a van needs 30 kWh added to its battery and is parked for 10 hours. With an assumed 90% charging efficiency, electricity drawn is 30 ÷ 0.90 = 33.3 kWh. The average input required is then 33.3 ÷ 10 = 3.33 kW. These are planning assumptions, not a vehicle specification or an installation quote.

Average power is an energy check, not proof that the supply or charger can deliver the schedule. Ask the installer to test simultaneous loads, charging limits and a late arrival. Build in a procedure for a missed plug-in, rather than assuming every driver follows the intended timetable.

Can your trade premises support the charging load?

Give the installer your electricity records and the operating times of workshop machinery, heating and other large loads. Ask for the usable capacity during the charging window and a drawing showing the proposed cable route.

A distribution network operator (DNO) manages the local electricity network. Supply assessment, possible DNO engagement, site agreements and trenching are separate parts of depot planning. [S3] Ask for written confirmation of which connection work is included and which costs remain provisional.

Request a comparison between managed charging and a supply upgrade. The design should state how it prioritises vans due out early, what happens when workshop demand rises and how staff override a schedule. Use load management versus a grid upgrade to structure that discussion.

Have the installer and council confirm permissions for the actual works and nation. For leased premises, get the landlord involved before choosing the cable route. Ask your solicitor to check access, reinstatement and exit obligations. Avoid accepting a contract whose charging term outlasts your practical right to occupy the yard.

What does an overnight van charge cost?

Use your own electricity contract, including time bands and additional charges. In the illustration above, assume an energy-only price of 25p/kWh. Electricity for the van costs 33.3 × £0.25 = approximately £8.33 per working day. At an assumed 250 working days, that is approximately £2,083 a year. This excludes standing charges, installation, software, repairs and tax.

That amount is an operating cost, rather than host income. Charging your own vehicles does not create an external sale merely because your accounts allocate a tariff to the fleet department. Compare the full vehicle and infrastructure costs before claiming a saving. Keep paid customer charging in a separate business case.

If staff take vans home, agree evidence for reimbursement, ownership of home equipment and the process when a driver moves. These practical concerns appear in the government research. [S2] See mixed fleet charging before relying on home parking.

Which grants can help a trade business install chargers?

The Workplace Charging Scheme covers up to 75% of eligible purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets across an applicant’s sites. Its published end date is 31 March 2027. Eligibility and the installation process still apply. [S1]

Keep the grant as a conditional line in your budget until your application position is clear. Ask the installer to show the invoice with and without support, and confirm the equipment and installation qualify. Do not deduct a vehicle purchase grant from the price of charging infrastructure.

HMRC’s chargepoint first-year allowance covers qualifying expenditure and runs to 31 March 2027 for Corporation Tax and 5 April 2027 for Income Tax. [S4] This is general information; check the expenditure, grant interaction and your tax position with your accountant.

What should you do next?

Prepare your parking map, route energy estimates, electricity records and tenancy details. Agree who checks that vans are connected before locking the yard. Request a design that shows normal operation and the response to a missed charge.

Visit the fleet and depot sector guide, then get matched with an installer that covers your area.

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