The increase in Workplace Charging Scheme funding from £350 to £500 is useful.
But the bigger value for businesses is having time to make the right infrastructure decisions before they become urgent ones.
EV charging isn't just about installing a charger; it’s part of wider commercial energy planning.
The businesses treating it as wider commercial planning now are usually the ones that avoid the expensive reactive decisions later.
For a lot of businesses, EV charging infrastructure still sits in the “we’ll deal with it later” category.
The problem is that later is becoming more expensive.
From 1 April 2026, the UK Government increased Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) funding from £350 to £500 per socket and extended the scheme until 31 March 2027.
For eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations, that means support is still available for workplace EV charging installations - and at a higher level than before.
But the grant increase is only part of the story.
The bigger shift is what’s happening around it.
Scotland continues to push long-term EV infrastructure investment through public and private sector partnerships, with Transport Scotland targeting significant expansion of public charging infrastructure by 2030.
At the same time, more businesses are reaching the point where EV charging is no longer a future discussion.
It’s becoming operational.
The real issue isn’t usually the chargers
In practice, the biggest challenge is rarely the charger itself.
It’s:
- capacity planning
- future-proofing
- site layout
- infrastructure scalability
- deciding whether solar, battery storage or EV charging should be considered together instead of separately
That’s where rushed decisions become expensive.
Businesses that install charging with no wider infrastructure plan often end up revisiting:
- distribution upgrades
- cabling routes
- charger locations
- parking layouts
- energy demand issues
- future expansion requirements
months later.
Sometimes years later.
And usually at a higher cost.
Why businesses are reviewing this now
The funding increase is creating another trigger point for companies that were already considering:
- fleet transition planning
- staff charging
- customer charging
- ESG reporting
- reducing operational energy costs
- improving site infrastructure
For some businesses, the answer will be a small number of workplace chargers.
For others, it may make more sense to review EV charging alongside commercial solar PV or battery storage to better manage long-term electricity demand.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer which is exactly why early planning matters.
The Scottish picture is moving quickly
Scotland’s EV infrastructure rollout is continuing to accelerate.
Transport Scotland’s wider infrastructure plans are heavily focused on growing charging access across urban, rural and island communities while encouraging greater private sector involvement.
That matters because businesses are increasingly being pulled into the wider infrastructure conversation - whether through fleet requirements, employee expectations, customer demand or property development.
The companies that start planning now are usually the ones with more flexibility later.
Westhill-based ORKA Solutions delivers expert support and seamless solar, EV and battery solutions for businesses across Scotland.