EV charge point installation

It is the most straightforward route, but not the only one. With a drive, a garage or your own land, the charge point can reach the car directly. If you only park on the street, a cable channel may be possible: a slim channel set into the pavement so the charging cable runs below the surface rather than across it. It needs approval from your local council first, and not every council allows them yet, so it depends on where you live. Get in touch and I'll help you check before anything is booked. Running a loose cable across the pavement on its own is not allowed, since it is a trip hazard.

In most cases no. A charge point on a house or in a garage normally falls under permitted development, though listed buildings and conservation areas can be different. Your electricity network operator does need to be told about the extra load, and I handle that notification as part of the job, so it's not something you need to arrange.

That depends on your parking, your incoming supply and the run of cable required. I'll look at the options with you before anything is fitted, and explain the trade-offs between the tidiest position and the most practical one.

Possibly. There are two government grants, each covering 75% of the cost of the charge point and its installation, up to £500. One is for people who rent, or who own and live in a flat, and have their own off-street parking. The other is for households that only have on-street parking and are fitting a cable channel across the pavement. Either way the grant has to be approved before anything is fitted, and as an OZEV approved installer I claim it for you and take it off your bill. Both schemes close on 31 March 2027.

Yes. Workplace and commercial installations are covered as well as domestic ones, including multiple units where the supply allows.

A tethered unit has the cable permanently attached, which is tidier day to day and means one less thing to carry. An untethered unit has a socket instead, so you use your own cable and it copes better if you change to a vehicle with a different connector. Neither is better in the abstract, it depends on how you use the car.

Ask me directly. Suitability depends on your vehicle, your supply and how you'll use it, so it's better answered for your specific situation than promised in advance on a web page.

It is not a sensible substitute. Charging from a standard socket draws a high current for many hours at a time, which is not what ordinary sockets and wiring are designed for, and it is considerably slower. A dedicated charge point is a properly protected circuit built for the job.

Around three to four hours for a straightforward installation. It can take longer depending on where the charge point needs to go and how far the cable has to run, so I'll give you a realistic idea once I've seen the job rather than quoting a time blind.

Usually seven to ten working days for a standard booking. If you are claiming a government grant, allow the same again from the date your grant is approved, since the work cannot go ahead until that comes through.

Briefly, yes. Connecting a new circuit at the consumer unit means the supply comes off for a short period. I'll tell you before it happens so you can shut anything down that needs shutting down first.

Yes. A charge point is a new circuit, so it is tested on completion and you get an electrical installation certificate. I'm NAPIT registered, so the work is notified through NAPIT as well.

An SPD protects an installation against voltage spikes, whether from lightning strikes on the network or switching events further up the supply. Given a charge point is a permanent circuit connected to an expensive vehicle, I fit surge protection as standard on EV installations rather than treating it as an optional extra.

OZEV is the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles. Being OZEV registered means I'm on the government's approved installer list for electric vehicle charge points, which is also what allows me to claim government charge point grants on your behalf.