What funding does not cover (grid, vehicles) — and how to plan for it
The two costs that catch people out — grid reinforcement and much of the vehicle spend — sit outside the main grants. Budget for them deliberately.
Last updated 15 August 2026
Grants change the business case — but only for the costs they cover. Two big items sit outside the main schemes, and planning for them from the start avoids a nasty surprise late on.
Grid reinforcement is on you
The Depot Charging Scheme covers chargepoints and civils, but not your DNO’s grid reinforcement or connection upgrade. That can be one of the largest and least predictable costs in the whole project, so treat it as a separate budget line and get a DNO estimate early. This is also why smart charging and batteries, which shrink or avoid reinforcement, matter so much — they reduce a cost no grant will pay.
Vehicles beyond the vehicle grants
While vehicle grants help with the purchase of electric vans and trucks, they rarely cover the full difference in vehicle cost. Plan to fund the balance through your normal fleet capital or financing.
Solar and batteries: assume outside
Eligibility of solar and battery storage under the depot scheme isn’t confirmed, so the safe assumption is that they fall outside it. Include them in the wider project economics rather than banking on grant support.
Plan the whole picture
The trap is building a business case on the funded costs alone and being caught out by the unfunded ones. Map every cost — chargers, civils, grid, vehicles, storage — then apply grants where they land and fund the rest deliberately. An honest, whole-project TCO is what stands up to scrutiny, and confirming current terms on the Funding tracker keeps it accurate.