The cost of charging an electric vehicle is highly dependent on the charging infrastructure available.
This leaves people without driveways at a distinct disadvantage as they have to rely on public charge points in order to give their EVs some juice.
Why is this?
In a few words, it is because of the 1994 Pavement Tax.
People without driveways pay 20% VAT when using public charge points, whereas people with private chargers at home pay just 5%. This can cost drivers over £1800 a year and it is referred to as the 'pavement tax'.
Critics have addresses Chancellor Jeremy Hunt's recent Statement for failing to tackle this issue, making it more difficult for people to transition over to electric vehicles before the 2030 ban.
It is estimated that up to 40% of motorists have no driveway and therefore much work needs to be done by the government in terms of public infrastructure in order to lessen the disparity between EV owners with and without driveways.
How can you avoid this tax?
Landlords can help their tenants by having charge points installed in communal car parks. It's a great time to do this as the government have introduced two types of grant: the EV chargepoint grant and the EV infrastructure grant.
The EV chargepoint grant gives you either £350 or 75% for the cost of buying and installing an EV chargepoint socket. You can claim 200 grants for residential properties or 100 grants for commercial properties in a single financial year. They can be used on one property, or for several different ones.
The EV infrastructure grant is for the infrastructure required for multiple chargepoints to be installed, such as wiring and posts for future chargepoints. You can claim up to £30,000 or 75% off the cost of the project, although further terms and conditions apply. This grant can be applied up to 30 times in a single financial year.
To read more about the grants available to landlords, click here.