Digital service powers growth of the UK’s residential network of EV chargepoints

The commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, and to ensure that all new cars and vans are zero emission by 2035 is the centerpiece of the UK government’s landmark Transport Decarbonization Plan and a key component of how it will achieve its overall Net Zero goals.

Transportation is the largest contributor to UK greenhouse gas emissions, with road travel accounting for almost a quarter of total emissions in 2019. The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) coordinates the government effort to support the transition to zero emission vehicles by promoting the use of plug-ins and providing access to funding for chargepoint infrastructure. The ultimate goal of this initiative is the creation of a self-sustaining market for electric vehicles (EVs).

 “As the UK accelerates towards net-zero emissions by 2050, we are determined to deliver a world-leading electric vehicle charging network while we Build Back Greener and support economic growth across the country.”

Rachel Maclean, Transport Minister

£1.6 billion investment in chargepoint infrastructure

Fundamental to the success of the transition to EVs is the government’s ongoing £1.6 billion investment in the extension of the country’s electric vehicle chargepoint network. Doing so means making charging available wherever people live and work throughout the country.

When OZEV wished to improve the accessibility and management of the various programs that provided chargepoint infrastructure installation grants, the Office appointed Capgemini to review the existing landscape, identify how grant application processes and workflows could be streamlined, and recommend how digital technology could transform the structure and delivery of these vital services.

According to Department for Transport (DfT) statistics, there were more than 30,000 public EV charging devices available throughout the UK in April 2022. While this number continues to rise, a key priority for the government and OZEV was to stimulate the market for EVs in those areas where the availability of chargepoints was more limited.

A new policy initiative was launched to provide additional grant support for homeowners and renters living in multi-occupancy buildings and looking to buy their own chargepoints, as well as building owners and landlords who managed a residents’ car park and wished to provide charging services for their customers.

As part of an agile program that leveraged user-centric design techniques, OZEV worked with Capgemini to assess existing policy and application schemes.

In addition, user research captured the views and needs of key stakeholders, such as residents, building owners, installers, and grant application administrators at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), which ensured that the solution catered to the people it was meant to impact.

Accounting for the needs of all stakeholders

In the UK, EV chargepoint installers take on significant responsibility in submitting grant applications on behalf of their customers. As a result, they needed a simple application process that would create less friction between them and their customers and enable the delivery of the right chargepoint in a timely manner. Installers also needed the ability to submit multiple applications at once, track their progress in one place, and feel confident that they could avoid cash flow issues by getting grant payments sooner.

Similarly, EV owners, building owners, and landlords needed to know that they could get a chargepoint installed by an authorized installer at their property quickly and at a price they could afford. This meant gaining access to a straightforward, plain language way of checking installer eligibility and how much grant value they could apply for while receiving guidance about the right infrastructure for their property.

To achieve this, OZEV and DfT needed an automated, transparent EV grants platform that would allow them to significantly reduce the time spent assessing applications. Additionally, the government wanted an easy-to-learn solution with a consistent user experience that could handle multiple grants and large volumes at speed, which would enable multiple schemes to run simultaneously in a cost-effective way.

End-to-end digital application process

Working in close collaboration with DfT and DVLA stakeholders, OZEV and Capgemini worked in Agile teams. They scaled to build the solution incrementally while using the latest DevOps tools to fully automate the release process, thereby enabling the fast and predictable delivery of a quality service.

OZEV and Capgemini coordinated to build a bespoke, secure, and compliant web portal based on open-source technologies and hosted on Google Cloud. Meanwhile, a Microsoft Dynamics platform used principally by DVLA processing staff captures all relevant data, including application forms and site photographs of the completed installation. Doing so enables installers to have end-to-end oversight of the application process.

The collaboration between OZEV and Capgemini delivered a fully digitized, cloud-based service that processes EV chargepoint grants. This platform ensured that eligible applicants receive funding of up to 75% towards the cost of installing EV chargepoints at domestic properties across the UK. In addition, the platform replaced the previous EV Homecharge Scheme, which relied on manually processed, paper-based processes. Now, all eligibilities are verified and confirmed before work commences, which provides stakeholders with peace of mind while the pace of installation has accelerated.

Launched in August 2022, the EV chargepoint grant service provides a process template and repeatable technology platform on which associated grant application services currently using manual processes can be fully digitized.

Charging often starts at home, with most UK motorists having access to off-street parking. As an EV driver myself, I know that home-charging not only provides access to cheaper electricity prices, but also means my car is charged each morning and ready for the day ahead.

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Transport, March 2022