After a two-week delay, the portal opened at midday on 11 November via GOV.UK and will remain live until midday on 26 February 2027, giving operators four extra weeks compared to the original schedule. While the grant intervention rate has dipped from 70% in Window 1 down to 60% of charge point and civil engineering costs, the £1 million cap per organisation remains intact across any number of UK depot sites.
Crucially for operators grappling with constrained local grids, battery energy storage systems remain eligible when integrated to support fleet charging. Applications are assessed on a first-come, first-served basis (moving to competitive assessment if oversubscribed), with award decisions expected by 28 May 2027 and installation deadlines running through to 31 March 2028.
Industry voices, including the BVRLA, Renault Trucks UK, Voltempo, and Novuna Vehicle Solutions, have welcomed the certainty of the £170m multi-year programme, while noting that operators should move quickly, especially as the Government has signalled that grant rates will continue to taper down in future rounds.
John: Introduced the story by framing the opening as good news tempered by the reduction from 70% to 60% coverage. Noted that expecting a government apology for the two-week delay was optimistic, suggested tapering the grant spreads the money to help more companies get involved, and highlighted the October EV Café webinar on navigating the grant process.
Paul: Agreed the lower percentage helps spread the funding further beyond just large corporations with deep pockets, though noted it was a slight shame smaller operators missed out on the higher initial rate. Welcomed the extra four-week application window and joked that the delay might have been caused by the Microsoft outage.
Sara: Emphasised that operators shouldn't hesitate and welcomed the support even with the delay. Encouraged fleet managers to use The EV Café as an impartial sounding board away from the sales floor to connect with like-minded businesses who have already electrified their depots.
Sam: Recommended fleet managers watch back the October webinar featuring Jonny Berry for a clear, layman's breakdown of the scheme. Supported the drop to 60%, arguing that tapering government grants is healthy because it prevents a sudden "cliff-edge" drop-off and allows commerciality to gradually take over.