Guide — for site owners
Is my site suitable for an EV charger?
Most customer-facing businesses with their own car park can host an EV charger. Here's what we look for. You don't need to be sure before applying, because the site assessment is free.
Quick checklist
You're likely to be a good fit if most of these apply:
- A customer-facing business: hospitality, leisure, retail or similar
- An off-street car park used by customers or the public
- Visitors usually stay at least half an hour
- At least two bays you can set aside for charging
- You own the site, or your landlord is likely to agree
Type of business
Our chargers are for public use, so we work with places people already visit and spend time: pubs and restaurants, hotels, gyms and leisure centres, retail parks, cafés, garden centres, farm shops and attractions. We don't install home chargers, or chargers in staff-only or fleet car parks.
How long visitors stay
Drivers charge while they're with you, so longer visits mean more use. Around an hour (pubs, restaurants, shops) suits a 22kW charger. Two hours or more (hotels, gyms, attractions) suits a 7kW charger. If most visits are under about 20 minutes, a destination charger is unlikely to fit.
Parking
We usually start with one dual charger serving two bays, and add more if it gets busy. The best bays are off-street on land you control, easy to see from the car park entrance, close to your electricity supply, and open whenever the car park is.
Electricity supply
The chargers run from your supply, and we reimburse the electricity they use. Most sites have single-phase power, which is enough for 7kW chargers. 22kW chargers need three-phase. We check your spare capacity at the assessment. Where capacity is tight, chargers can often share the available power. If an upgrade is needed, we arrange it with the network operator, though it can affect the terms we offer. A photo of your meter and fuse board helps us get an early idea.
Permissions
If you lease, you'll need your landlord's written permission, and we can give you what they'll ask for. Chargers in an off-street car park usually don't need planning permission, but listed buildings and conservation areas can differ. We check this for you.
What adds cost
None of these rule a site out, but they can affect the terms: a long distance between supply and bays, a cable route across a lot of hard surface, a supply that needs upgrading, or extra permissions for listed buildings or shared land.
Think your site could be a fit? Tell us about it and we'll let you know what's possible.
Apply for a charger