Commercial EV charger installation in South Wales has moved from an optional amenity to a procurement requirement in 2025 and 2026. Welsh Government planning policy now requires EV charging provision on new commercial developments under Technical Advice Note 8. Major employers — the DVLA SA6, Swansea University, Cardiff Council — are adding workplace charging to staff benefits packages. And the OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme provides meaningful grant funding that covers 40% to 60% of installation cost for qualifying employers.
This guide covers the key technical and commercial decisions in a workplace EV charging project.
Charger type selection: 7kW, 22kW or rapid
7kW (32A single-phase) Type 2 AC: The standard domestic and workplace charger. Adds approximately 30 to 40 km of range per hour of charge. Suitable for employees parking for 4 to 8 hours during a working day. Most cost-effective per unit and the lowest demand load per point. FLD’s default specification for standard workplace car parks.
22kW (32A three-phase) Type 2 AC: Three times faster than a 7kW unit but requires three-phase supply at each charger location. Suitable for short-stay or visitor car parks, fleet vehicles with rapid turnover, or sites where vehicles park for less than 3 hours. More expensive per unit and the three-phase supply requirement adds cable cost.
50kW to 150kW DC rapid: Suitable for fleet hubs, motorway-adjacent commercial sites, service stations and destinations with high-throughput charging needs. Requires significant electrical infrastructure — typically a dedicated 3-phase supply of 100A to 250A per charger. FLD installs DC rapid chargers for fleet operators and hospitality businesses with high-visibility charging as a customer amenity.
G100: the DNO notification requirement
The Engineering Recommendation G100 governs the connection of electric vehicle charging equipment to the UK distribution network. Key thresholds:
- EV charger installations above 16A per phase (i.e., above 3.68 kW single-phase or 11 kW three-phase) require notification to the DNO under G100
- Installations above certain demand thresholds may trigger network reinforcement requirements
- Smart charging capability (reducing charge rate in response to grid signals) is a condition of G100 compliance for most installations
In South Wales, NGED covers SA1 to SA13, CF and NP postcodes. SP Manweb covers SA14 to SA73, LD and SY. FLD submits G100 notifications as part of every commercial EV installation above the threshold — typically a 5 to 10 working day process for standard installations.
Load management for multi-charger installations
A 20-space car park with 7kW chargers represents a potential demand of 140 kW if all vehicles charge simultaneously. Few commercial buildings can absorb that load on top of existing demand without costly network upgrades. Dynamic load management — software-controlled charge rate distribution across all points — is essential for multi-charger installations above 4 to 6 units.
FLD programmes dynamic load management as standard for all commercial EV installations of 5 or more units. The system distributes available demand across active chargers in real time, ensuring total site demand stays within the contracted import capacity. Where on-site solar is present, the load management system prioritises solar generation for EV charging before drawing from grid.
OZEV Workplace Charging Scheme
The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) Workplace Charging Scheme provides a grant of £350 per socket, to a maximum of 40 sockets (£14,000 per site) for qualifying UK employers.
Eligibility:
- UK-registered business or charity
- Dedicated off-road parking at the work site
- Chargers must be publicly accessible during working hours (not restricted to specific named individuals)
- Smart charger compliant with G100 requirements
- Installation by an OZEV-authorised installer
FLD is an OZEV-authorised installer. We manage the voucher application process as part of the installation scope — the grant is applied directly to the installation invoice, reducing the client’s net cost.
For a 20-point 7kW installation with an installed cost of approximately £22,000 before grant, OZEV funding of £7,000 reduces net capex to £15,000. The remaining £15,000 qualifies for AIA Corporation Tax credit at 25% — a further £3,750 credit, producing an effective capex of approximately £11,250.
Pairing EV charging with rooftop solar
The optimal configuration for a commercial site with rooftop solar is a solar-divert EV charging system. During peak solar generation hours (09:00 to 15:00), the SolarEdge energy management system diverts surplus generation to EV chargers before exporting to grid at the lower SEG rate.
For a 50-space employer car park with 30 EV chargers and a 200 kWp rooftop solar array, assuming 50% of vehicles charge during the core solar generation window with a 30% solar generation divert rate:
- Annual EV charge energy from solar: approximately 22,000 kWh
- Avoided grid import cost at 28p/kWh: approximately £6,160 per year
- This adds to the standard solar self-consumption benefit on top of existing building demand
The critical design choice is whether to add a battery bank to extend the solar-to-EV window into the afternoon and evening. For car parks where vehicles arrive in the morning and leave in the afternoon, battery storage is generally not required — the solar generation window aligns with the parking window. For 24-hour or shift-based operations, a battery improves the self-consumption rate significantly.
OCPP back-office for chargepoint-as-a-service
Large commercial and public EV installations increasingly require OCPP (Open Charge Point Protocol) back-office connectivity for remote monitoring, user authentication, billing and fleet management. FLD installs OCPP-capable chargers from leading UK suppliers and coordinates back-office setup with the client’s preferred network operator.
Getting a commercial EV charging assessment
FLD provides combined EV charging and solar feasibility assessments for South Wales commercial clients. Call Paul on 01792 680611 or use the contact page.
