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. Where the chargers are meant to run on a roof array's surplus, the control layer matters more than the unit — see how solar and chargers work as one system.
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. For installed costs of chargers and solar together, see commercial solar EV charging costs.
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 up to £500 (75% of cost) 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. 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.
Free combined feasibility
Get combined solar + EV charging figures for your site
Tell us about the site and the vehicles. The reply is a written desk feasibility — array size, charger plan, grid headroom, grant and tax position — within 7 working days, from twelve months of meter data if you have it. No site visit is needed for that first pass.
Further reading: Companies in mid Essex can call on electrical installation services in Braintree for the supporting works a depot charger rollout usually requires.