Choosing Commercial EV Chargers
Charger selection is 20% hardware and 80% matching power to parking behaviour. Here is the 2026 decision framework — and the specification lines that keep a site flexible for 15 years.
AC 7kW vs AC 22kW vs DC rapid
| AC 7kW The all-day workhorse | AC 22kW Three-phase flexibility | DC rapid 50–150kW Turnaround tool | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed cost per point | £1,200–£2,500 | £1,800–£3,500 | £25,000–£60,000 |
| Range added per hour (van) | ~25–30 mi | ~60–75 mi* | ~150–300 mi |
| Supply demand per point | Modest | Moderate | Heavy |
| Solar-following suitability | Excellent | Excellent | Limited |
| WCS grant eligible | |||
| Right for | All-day parking | Short dwell, future-proofing | Mid-shift turnaround |
*Where the vehicle's on-board charger accepts 11–22kW AC — many vans cap AC charging below the socket rating, which is exactly the kind of detail a fleet audit catches before procurement.
The five specification lines that matter
OCPP compliance — non-negotiable, because it keeps software competitive for the asset's life. Load management readiness — every socket must accept dynamic power adjustment, the mechanism that makes solar-following charging and supply-capacity compliance work. Smart regulations conformity — chargepoints sold in the UK fall under the Electric Vehicles (Smart Charge Points) Regulations 2021 framework; reputable commercial hardware ships compliant, but the paperwork should say so (the regs guide explains what applies where). Build quality for the duty cycle — a depot socket cycles daily in all weather; IP54+, robust cable management and a real UK service organisation matter more than screen size. Metering accuracy — MID-class metering per socket if you will ever bill users or claim energy figures in reporting.
Layout: civils cost more than chargers
The most expensive metre on a charging project is trench. Socket positions chosen for cable-run economy — clustered near the distribution board or along one duct route — install for thousands less than the same hardware scattered across a car park. Design the duct network for the end-state socket count even if phase one is four sockets: empty duct is cheap, re-trenching tarmac is not. Canopy projects merge this thinking with foundations, covered in the canopy guide.
How many sockets?
For staff workplaces: plan for 10–20% of parking bays now with duct provision for 40%+, and let occupancy data drive expansion — the WCS supports up to 40 sockets per applicant, so phased rollouts stay grant-eligible. For fleets: sockets follow the parking schedule, not the vehicle count; a 20-van fleet with overnight dwell needs far fewer than 20 sockets if shifts stagger. The depot guide works the rota arithmetic properly.
Procurement traps to skip
Free-hardware deals funded by long exclusive operating contracts can cost more than buying outright by year four — read the tariff escalation clause twice. Domestic-grade units priced commercially fail under fleet duty cycles and may not carry the right approvals for workplace deployment. And any quote that doesn't itemise civils is a quote that hasn't visited the site. The business case page covers grant and tax treatment of whatever you select.
Charger selection questions
What does a commercial EV charger cost installed in 2026?
AC workplace units: roughly £1,200–£2,500 per 7kW socket and £1,800–£3,500 per 22kW socket installed, with civils (trenching, ducting, bases) the swing factor — long cable runs can double a socket's installed cost. DC rapid: £25,000–£60,000 for 50–120kW units installed. The WCS grant takes £350 off each eligible socket.
Should we install 7kW or 22kW sockets?
For vehicles parked all day, 7kW fully charges almost anything — a van gaining 25–30 miles of range per hour parked from 9 to 5 banks 200+ miles. Choose 22kW where dwell times are short, where three-phase supply makes the increment cheap, or for future-proofing against bigger batteries. Many sites mix: a spine of 7kW for all-day parking, a few 22kW for turnaround bays.
What is OCPP and why does it keep coming up?
The Open Charge Point Protocol is the standard language between chargers and management software. OCPP-compliant hardware can be steered by any competent load-management or billing platform, today and in fifteen years. Proprietary-protocol chargers tie your site to one vendor's software pricing forever. We specify OCPP 1.6J or newer, full stop.
Can we charge staff or visitors for the electricity?
Yes — workplace chargers can run free-to-use, PAYG, or RFID-restricted with billing per kWh, and policies can differ by user group. Sites with solar often price staff charging at a rate between solar cost and grid rate: staff still beat public charging by half, and the business recovers its costs. The back-office platform handles VAT and receipts.
Further reading: Companies in mid Essex can call on electrical installation services in Braintree for the supporting works a depot charger rollout usually requires.