What the new EV funding for trucks, e-vans and depot charging means for fleets
What are the Zero Emissions Truck and Van grants and the Depot Charging Scheme?
The funding package is designed to help businesses switch to electric vans and trucks, with support running through to 2030.[1]
It combines grants for vehicles with funding for charging infrastructure, targeting two of the biggest barriers fleets face: upfront cost and access to reliable charging.
In practical terms, this includes:
- Up to £81,000 off the heaviest zero-emission trucks, covering up to 40% of the purchase price
- Continued support of up to £5,000 for electric vans (e-vans)
- Up to £1 million per site for depot charging infrastructure, covering up to 70% of installation costs
Taken together, it’s a step towards making electrification plans more realistic for businesses operating eHGVs, vans, e-trucks and depot-based fleets.
Reducing risk for fleet operators switching to EVs
For many businesses operating a fleet of vehicles, the hesitation around electrification comes down to risk. Commercial electric vehicles (EVs) cost more upfront and charging infrastructure requires investment. And once a transition starts, it’s not something you can easily undo.
This funding helps reduce some of that pressure. Electric vehicle grants bring down the initial cost, while support for depot charging addresses one of the most common sticking points – getting the infrastructure in place to run electric vehicle fleets reliably.
Why depot charging matters for fleets
Depot charging is what makes fleet electrification work in practice.
Vehicles tend to get most of the attention, but a lot of the complexities sit behind the scenes, in the infrastructure. Planning is key; dealing with grid connections, installing charging points, and making sure vehicles are ready when they’re needed.
The additional £170m for depot charging is therefore a big part of this announcement. If fleets can access that support, it could help move projects forward that might otherwise have stalled at the planning stage.
This becomes even more important when looking at heavy goods vehicles and planning electric HGV charging depots, where charging requirements are significantly more complex in terms of space, power and infrastructure design.
What we’re seeing at Mer
We’re already seeing more businesses actively exploring electrification, particularly where support schemes are available.
As Natasha Fry, Head of Sales, Mer Fleet Services, explains:
“It is encouraging to see the Government commit £1 billion for the roll out of zero emission trucks and vans, in addition to the considerable £170m boost to its Depot Charging Scheme, which fleet businesses are already starting to reap the rewards of.
These measures will significantly help reduce upfront costs and support fleet managers install the charging infrastructure they need to keep their business-critical vehicles operational.
This announcement marks an essential step toward decarbonising the logistics sector and further catalysing fleet decarbonisation.”
There’s a clear sense that momentum is building.
Why the EV funding won’t remove every barrier for fleet operators
The funding doesn’t make electrification simple overnight. Fleets still need to deal with grid connection constraints, infrastructure lead times, operational changes and internal buy-in. Those challenges don’t disappear.
What the funding does do is make the overall case easier to justify – and for many businesses, that’s often the point where things start to move.
Should fleets act now?
Announcements like this tend to create a window of opportunity.
The fleets that benefit most are usually the ones that already have a plan forming, something that outlines their vehicles, their sites, and what infrastructure might be needed.
If you’re earlier in the process, it’s still worth starting now. Demand for both funding and charge point infrastructure is only going one way. Even without this announcement, the direction of travel has been clear for some time.
Regulation is evolving[2], customer expectations are changing, and the economics of electric vehicles are gradually improving. This funding doesn’t change that, but it does help speed things up.
For fleets that have been weighing up their next steps, this funding could make the transition to electric feel more achievable. There are still challenges to work through. But the combination of EV grants and infrastructure funding removes some of the friction that has been holding projects back.