EV Charging Feasibility Study: What It Covers for UK Sites
An EV charging feasibility study tells you, before you spend anything, whether your site can host chargers, how many, of what type, and whether the numbers stack up. It looks at electrical capacity, physical layout, likely demand and the full cost and income picture. For most UK businesses it is the step that turns “we should add chargers” into a costed, buildable plan.
This guide explains what a study should include, when you need one, how to read the results and what to do next.
TL;DR
A feasibility study checks grid capacity, site suitability, projected demand and the economics before you commit capital.
Do it after you have secured a site and before you apply for planning, a grid connection or funding.
Early engagement with your district network operator (DNO) is critical, because grid capacity often decides the budget and timeline.
For installations completed on or after 1 April 2026, the Workplace Charging Scheme covers up to 75% of costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets.
A good study ends with a clear recommendation: go, go in phases, or change the approach.
Table of Contents
What an EV charging feasibility study assesses
A feasibility study looks at project size, costs, income and the energy capacity of the site. National Highways describes it as an assessment of grid capacity, site suitability and projected demand, alongside economic and operational viability.
In practice, that breaks into five questions:
Can the site physically host chargers? Space, cable routes, ground conditions, access.
Can the electrical supply support them? Existing capacity, spare headroom, and what happens if you need more.
Who will use them, and when? Employees, fleet vehicles, visitors, guests or the public.
What will it cost, and what will it earn or save? Equipment, installation, connection, running costs, grants and income.
What are the rules? Technical standards, grant conditions and planning.
A study that answers all five gives you something you can take to a finance director, a landlord or a board.
When you need one
The sequence matters. The professional guidance is to find and secure the site first, then complete a full study before applying for planning approval, a grid connection or capital funding. That order protects you from paying for applications on a site that turns out not to work.
You will usually want a study if:
You are installing more than a handful of chargers.
You manage a fleet or depot where vehicles charge overnight at the same time.
You are a landlord or managing agent with tenants who will each want access.
You run a hotel, leisure site or business park where visitors need to charge.
You are expanding or replacing existing chargers and need to know what the current supply can bear.
For a very small workplace installation, a study may be a short site survey. For multi-bay, multi-site or public-facing projects, it should be fuller.
Site suitability: the physical checks
A site visit is the heart of this stage. Guidance for host sites lists what to check: space near the power supply, lighting, level ground, drainage, signage, safety, wheelchair access and parking needs. Site owners and managers should allow time for meetings and visits.
Cenex-style assessments use site visits and metering data to establish physical constraints such as available space and cabling distances. Cable distance matters more than most people expect. Every extra metre of trenching between the supply and the bays adds cost, so the study often reshapes where chargers go.
Access and operations belong here too. Think about how vehicles enter and leave, where drivers wait, how a blocked bay is handled and who can reach equipment for maintenance. The same discipline applies to any site where vehicles are worked on or parked on private ground, and it is why process-led safety on site is worth thinking about when you plan access and operating routines.
For car parks with controlled access, see our guide to ANPR before your first charger.
Demand: who will charge, and for how long
Good sizing starts with behaviour, not hardware. National Highways advises assessing local chargepoint demand and users’ travel patterns, and matching charger type and speed to how long vehicles stay.
That leads to simple rules of thumb:
Site type | Typical dwell time | Charger approach to evaluate |
Office or workplace | Several hours | AC chargers, with load management |
Fleet depot | Overnight | AC for scheduled charging, DC for quick turnaround |
Hotel or leisure site | Hours to overnight | AC destination charging |
Retail or public site | Short to medium | Mix of AC and DC |
The study should forecast demand from traffic, employee or fleet habits and growth projections, so the infrastructure is sized appropriately for today and later. If you run a fleet, your vehicle replacement plan is the most important input. Ask for scenarios, for example year one, year three and year five.
Electrical capacity and the grid connection
This is where projects are won or lost. The assessment should cover existing supply, site loads, vehicle energy needs and charging time. If capacity falls short, the options include upgrading the DNO connection, adding generation or storage, and choosing between managed and unmanaged charging.
Half-hourly data
Cenex notes that historical and peak load profiles from half-hourly metering data are essential for sizing commercial sites and fleets accurately. Ask your energy supplier for this data early, as it shows how much headroom you really have at your busiest times.
Managed charging and storage
Smart load management shares available power between chargers so you can install more bays without a bigger connection. Alternatives to a grid upgrade, such as battery energy storage, can be evaluated in the study to improve viability where site power is limited. Our energy solutions for businesses cover storage, solar PV and heat pumps alongside charging.
Talk to your DNO early
The CIHT report stresses that early DNO engagement is critical, and that locations able to host charging without grid upgrades should be prioritised. Connection applications take time, so your study should state clearly whether one is needed. Our guide to the DNO application process sets out what to expect.
Future-proofing belongs here as well. Assessing existing electrical assets and the incoming supply lets you accommodate expansion and higher loads without costly later modifications. Laying larger ducting now, even if you only fit four chargers, is often far cheaper than digging again.
Costs, income and viability
Viability rests on equipment, installation, grid connection and ongoing operation and maintenance costs, set against potential income. Returns are usually modelled on assumed chargepoint use, so ask your study to show low, central and high utilisation cases rather than a single figure.
Check that the study includes:
Capital costs: chargers, groundworks, cabling, switchgear, connection.
Running costs: electricity, software fees, maintenance, payment processing.
Income or savings: driver fees, reduced fleet fuel spend, tenant charges, hosting revenue.
Funding: grants and finance options.
Payback period: and the assumptions behind it.
The connection can dominate the budget. One reported case saw a consultancy save a developer over £1 million on a 10-bay hub connection in Devon, which shows why connection strategy deserves attention before anything is ordered.
For typical budgets, see our guides to commercial EV charger installation cost and how to monetise workplace charging. Payment methods affect both income and driver experience, so read about EV charging payment options too.
Grants, standards and regulations to check
Workplace Charging Scheme
For installations completed on or after 1 April 2026, the Workplace Charging Scheme covers up to 75% of purchase and installation costs, capped at £500 per socket and 40 sockets per applicant. Check the scheme page for current terms before you commit. You can test your position with our grant eligibility check, and our workplace grants guide explains how funding fits together.
Technical requirements
To qualify for the scheme, chargepoints must meet the OZEV technical specification. Installations must comply with BS 7671 and the IET Code of Practice, and workplace installations with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. The same guidance requires workplace equipment to display payment or access and operating instructions, and to enable compliance with BS 8300 on accessibility.
Your study should name every one of these requirements against your chosen equipment. Selecting hardware before checking them is a common and avoidable mistake.
How to read the results
A useful report ends with a decision, not a data dump. Look for:
A clear recommendation: proceed, phase, or rethink.
A preferred layout: with cable routes and bay positions marked.
A connection plan: whether you need a DNO upgrade, load management or storage.
A costed range: with the assumptions visible.
A funding route: grants, finance or a funded model.
A programme: the order of applications, approvals and works.
If any of these is missing, ask for it before you sign anything.
What happens after the study
Once you have a go decision, the sequence is typically design, approvals, procurement, installation, commissioning and handover. The guidance points out that delivery may involve a chargepoint operator or an installer, and that you should plan for monitoring, tariffs, access and maintenance.
Decide early who will run the chargers day to day. Options include owning and managing them yourself, a joint investment, a fully funded model, or a charging-as-a-service arrangement. Ongoing maintenance and support keeps uptime high and protects your investment.
Our perspective
Most delays we see start with a missing early check, not a missing charger. A site that looks perfect on a plan can have a tight supply, a long cable run or an access problem, and finding that out after ordering equipment is expensive. We design, supply, install and manage commercial charging, so we look at the whole life of the project from the first survey. That means the feasibility work covers the connection, load management, software, payment and maintenance, not just where the bays go. It also means we can look at grants and flexible finance, including zero-upfront and funded models, while the design is still flexible. Our view is that a good study makes the project easier to say yes to. It gives you a number, a plan and a clear next step, whether you are fitting four workplace chargers or electrifying a depot across several sites. Swift Charging
Get your site assessed
Our Commercial EV Feasibility Review looks at your site, supply, expected demand and funding options, then sets out a practical route forward. We work with workplaces, fleets, hotels, schools, business parks and property managers across the UK, from survey through to long-term management. See our workplace charging and fleet charging services for what follows the study.
FAQ
How long does an EV charging feasibility study take?
It depends on the site and the data available. A small workplace may need a site visit and a short report, while a depot or multi-site project needs metering data and DNO input, which takes longer. Ask for a timeline at the outset.
Do I need a feasibility study to get a grant?
Not as a rule, but the study shows which grant fits and whether your chargers meet the technical specification. Check the Workplace Charging Scheme page for current conditions before you apply.
What if my site does not have enough power?
You have options. You can apply to upgrade the DNO connection, use smart load management, or add battery storage, all of which a study can compare for cost and timing.
Who should carry out the study?
Choose someone who can assess the electrical supply, the physical site and the finances together, and who can then design and deliver the result. That avoids handovers between separate specialists.
Sources
EV charge point guidance (Community Energy London, January 2023)
Rolling out electric vehicle charging infrastructure (CIHT, February 2026)
EV charging infrastructure planning for commercial sites (Eaton)
Vattenfall IDNO unlocks £1 million in savings for EV charging hub
Commercial chargepoints: minimum technical specification (GOV.UK)
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