Secure up to £20,000 in EV infrastructure funding before the March 2027 deadline
How independent schools are using the updated WCS grant to turn weekend parking into alternative revenue streams
Bursars and estates teams are pairing government-backed Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) vouchers with paid parent, match-day and facility-hire charging — so campus car parks earn outside the school week while staff bays are covered in term time. ZOLB EV runs the survey-to-install path as an OZEV-authorised installer, aligned to your voucher window and safeguarding-aware layouts.
- Up to £20,000 funding
- £500 per socket · Apr 2026
- 40 sockets · Closes Mar 2027
Your funding at a glance
| Feature | What it means for your school |
|---|---|
| Grant type | Voucher through Find a grant — we install and claim as your authorised partner |
| Per-socket support (from 1 Apr 2026) | £500 per socket at 75% of eligible costs |
| Estate-wide cap | Up to 40 sockets across your sites |
| Total funding potential | £20,000 when you maximise the 40-socket allowance |
| Voucher window | 180 days to complete installation after issue |
| Scheme closes | 31 March 2027 |
Fee-paying schools use the standard Workplace Charging Scheme. State-funded schools and MATs have a separate education route with different caps.
The charity-status advantage
Many independent schools operate with charitable status — that changes what you can do with bays once they are live, not just how much grant you can draw down.
Commercial tariffs & public access
Because of your independent or charitable status, you can often open chargers to match-day parents, evening facility hirers and the wider public — setting your own margins on paid sessions outside core school hours.
Weekend revenue streams
Turn under-used car parks into income when the site is quiet: sports fixtures, lettings and visitor events — while staff and fleet bays stay on your term-time plan.
Zero-CapEx bundles
We can wrap remaining install costs into asset finance alongside LED or solar upgrades, so estate energy savings help fund the project without a single upfront capital hit.
How ZOLB EV takes you from survey to live bays
- Campus survey — capacity, safeguarding and where paid vs staff bays make sense.
- Voucher-ready design — specification and timeline aligned to WCS rules and your bursar's budget cycle.
- Install & claim — authorised delivery inside the 180-day window; you pay the net balance after grant.
- Revenue setup — tariffs and access rules for parents, hirers and public sessions where you choose to monetise.
Book a campus survey or run numbers on our ROI calculator before the March 2027 close.
Frequently asked questions
How do we unlock the full £20,000?
Claim up to 40 sockets across your estate at £500 per socket (installations completed from 1 April 2026). We help you map which bays qualify and schedule work inside the 180-day voucher window.
Can we earn revenue from weekend parking?
Yes — many independent schools monetise match-days, lettings and visitor events with paid charging while keeping staff bays on term-time tariffs. We design access rules and hardware to match how you want to run the site.
What if we cannot fund the balance after the grant?
Ask about asset finance bundles that combine EV bays with LED or solar so ongoing estate savings offset lease costs — often structured as near zero upfront CapEx.
Related grant programmes
Book your campus survey before the March 2027 deadline
See how much grant and weekend revenue your estate could capture — no obligation, bursar-friendly walkthrough.