A practical breakdown from ORKA Solutions

The Autumn Budget introduced several updates that will shape how businesses, local authorities and site owners plan and operate EV charging infrastructure in 2025 and beyond.

Here’s ORKA’s no-nonsense look at the changes that matter — and what they could mean for organisations investing in EV, solar and energy efficiency.

🔌 Home & Workplace Charging

The Budget reinforces the UK’s push toward electrifying fleets, workplaces and commercial sites. For Scottish businesses, this means:

• Increased emphasis on reliable charging that fits real-world usage

• Continued demand for site-wide energy planning

• A reminder that capacity and load management need early attention to avoid costly upgrades

ORKA takeaway:
Businesses that plan now — not later — will avoid reactive upgrades and position themselves for future funding and compliance requirements.

🧾 Business Rates Considerations

Although much of the Budget discussion is focused on large charging networks, rating structures still influence how landlords, commercial sites and multi-tenant facilities approach EV infrastructure.

ORKA takeaway:
Clearer rating structures support investment cases for workplace and customer charging, particularly in hospitality, retail, office parks and industrial estates.

🏷️ Cost Transparency Across the Sector

A review into charging costs aims to bring more consistency and clarity to the market.
Even though ORKA does not operate public charging, businesses still benefit from:

• More transparent expectations on cost and performance

• Greater scrutiny of reliability

• Higher performance standards across the industry

ORKA takeaway:
Stronger expectations around uptime align with our approach: cloud-managed, monitored chargers designed for reliability, not guesswork.

🎓 Local Authority Officer Training

Funding for officer training is a positive step for Scotland’s councils and public-sector organisations.

ORKA takeaway:
Better-equipped local authority teams mean smoother planning cycles, reduced admin friction and more confident decision-making — ultimately benefiting commercial estates, depots and workplace charging projects.

🚗 EV Mileage Tax

The proposed mileage-based tax is intended to prepare the UK for long-term EV adoption.

ORKA takeaway:
For fleets and organisations operating workplace chargers, accurate charge-session and mileage reporting will become increasingly important. Choosing a platform with strong reporting and analytics will help future-proof operations.

🚘 Electric Vehicle Car Grant

While details continue to evolve, incentives for cleaner vehicles remain central to the UK’s strategy.

ORKA takeaway:
Demand for workplace and fleet charging will remain strong — especially where charging can be supported with solar generation and on-site battery storage.

🔋 Drive35

Announcements around the 2035 transition highlight the need for infrastructure that can scale, adapt and integrate.

ORKA takeaway:
Early planning is essential. Smart integration of solar, EV charging and battery storage helps businesses build capacity gradually, cost-effectively and with minimal disruption.

ORKA’s Position

We keep things simple:
No jargon. No fuss. Just expert support and seamless EV, solar and battery solutions for your business.

Whether you’re preparing for funding opportunities, electrifying your fleet or installing workplace charging, we help you design practical, future-ready systems tailored to your site, goals and budget.