Why you should use an OLEV approved installer

Looking after our environment has come to a critical point, and to tackle climate change, we have a responsibility to look after our shared environment as best we can.  And one thing we can easily consider moving to, is using low emission vehicles.

If you are thinking about getting yourself a new electrical vehicle or hybrid vehicle, then you may be considering getting a home charging point.  Because, at the time of writing this blog post, there aren’t as many charging points around as would be ideal.  And what could be more convenient than having a charging point right at home, or at a highly populated workplace.

Getting a home or workplace charging point arranged for your vehicle is easy.  But that doesn’t mean that you can trust just anyone to come along and do it for you.

Moreover, if there’s funding available to you for getting a charge point installed at a particular property, then there’s absolutely no reason not to take it.  You should use an OLEV approved installer.  This way you can get a perfectly qualified and authorised charge point installation at a mere fraction of the cost than you would otherwise be expected to pay out.

What does an OLEV approved installer mean?

OLEV stands for Office for Low Emission Vehicles.  It’s a government team that was put in place to support market adoption of ultra low emission vehicles.

This support comes in the form of funding and grants to have the necessary charging points installed.  Because without the chargers, the vehicles simply won’t work as they’re supposed to.

The OLEV Schemes

The OLEV currently runs 2 main schemes.  But although there are just two schemes, they are of interest, not just to the owners of the electrical vehicles, but also to businesses and electrical contractors.  These are the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and the Workplace Charging Scheme.

These schemes are designed to part fund the installation of charging stations for electric cars.  For both types of schemes, the proportion of the cost that can be funded is large and substantial, coming in at a meaty 75%.  Of course, as with any government scheme for funding, there is a cap, a maximum limit that the scheme will fund.  But again, this cap is very generous, and comes in at £350 for both home chargers and workplace chargers.  That goes for both the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme and the Workplace Charging Scheme.

For more information about either or both of these schemes, please follow this link, which takes you directly to the government’s website for the schemes, and through which you can also make any application that takes your interest.

It’s worth noting at this point that the OLEV runs some other funding schemes besides these two.  These include the On-street Residential Chargepoint Scheme, which provides grant funding for local authorities towards the cost of installing on-street residential charge points for plug-in electric vehicles, and the Ultra Low Emission Taxi Infrastructure Scheme.  You can find out more about these schemes by following this link.

Eligibility for OLEV Funding (Both Schemes)

As is only fair and right, there is strict criteria that have to be met, in order to successfully apply for either of the two schemes.

Some of the criteria is the same for both variations of the scheme, and is as follows.  First of all, the installers need to be authorised and approved by the OLEV.  Secondly, the fit charging kit has to be on the OLEV approved list.  And finally, the OLEV-approved installer needs to be approved by the charging kit manufacturer to install their kit.

Eligibility criteria for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme

Here’s a quick run through of all the criteria you need to meet in order to be eligible to apply for OLEV funding for your home charger:

• Your charger must be installed by an OLEV approved installer

• You must have off street parking facilities, such as a driveway or a garage

• The charger must use smart technology

(For those who don’t know a smart charge point is one which can be remotely accessed, and is capable of receiving, interpreting and reacting to a signal.)

You can only claim one charger per eligible vehicle,  and up to a maximum of two per household.

As for whether or not your vehicle is eligible for, the majority of plug in vehicles do qualify for the OLEV.  However when it comes to whether your hybrid vehicle is eligible, then this is not so clear cut.  When it comes to which hybrids are eligible, it is only those with CO2 emissions below 75g/km.  To check whether your vehicle is on the list of approved vehicles, please follow this link.

(And in case you haven’t looked into it already, it’s certainly worth noting at this point that you can also apply for grants towards the plug in vehicle itself.  To find out more about this, please follow this link.)

Why you should use an OLEV approved installer

So, carrying on, by using an OLEV approved installer to install your charging point/s with government funding, you get double the verification that they can do the job and get it done right.  Not only do they have to be authorised by OLEV, but they also have to be approved by the charging kit manufacturer to install their kit.  This is very reassuring.

And of course, if you were to go with any other installer, then you will not be eligible for the government funding which can knock 75% off the overall installation charge, up to £350.

And better yet, once you have found yourself an OLEV approved installer, there’s no form filling in to do for the OLEV funding, the OLEV approved installer will take care of all of that.  The OLEV approved instructor will ask you some basic questions and then claim the government grant on your behalf.

It’s a no brainer.