LM: Do the charge points qualify for the government’s Electric Vehicle Home Charge Scheme and Work Place Charging grants, and how much do they cost?
DS: Absolutely. There are a number of government grant options available for customers, and we’re on hand to help navigate the paperwork involved for each. The OLEV grant is the most common starting point for customers and providing you own or rent an electric vehicle. You could receive up to £350 towards the cost of buying and installing a charge point. There are other grant options available for customers in Scotland (EST), Ireland (SEAI) and also for commercial businesses looking to offer charging to their customers, visitors and staff (WCS).
LM: How many points have you installed to date, and what are the prerequisites for having one?
DS: We’ve completed thousands of installations across homes in the UK to date. For each of them, the starting point is always the same. The first thing we do is to check your supply fuse amperage. It is preferable to have a 100A main fuse. This is required to allow the load of the charge point. If you have a 60A main fuse, it is advisable to upgrade your supply to 100A.
Once that’s in place, you just need to go to the Andersen website and build your dream unit, selecting the colour, finish, accessories, and government grants that best suit you. After that, a member of the team will be in touch to help with next steps. We’re proud to offer a very personal service, and our team are experts at supporting everything from design to installation. A lot of advice is about future-proofing, so the customer has the greatest control over their energy usage.
LM: How has your business mitigated the threats posed by the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
DS: Ensuring the safety of our staff and customers has always been our number one priority, so it’s a given that we have decided to temporarily suspend all upcoming installs. Although the UK government is allowing electrical maintenance works as such to continue in accordance with social distancing guidelines, we believe that delaying installations is the correct thing to do to help stop the spread of Coronavirus.
Our installations team continues to carry out remote surveys and have been working on rescheduling the installations calendar ready to bounce straight back into action at the earliest opportunity. We are prioritising anyone identified as a Key Worker and have been busy coordinating a number of requests from NHS staff.
Beyond that, we’re continuing to offer our usual advice and technical support. This includes any EV charging questions customers may have via our chat, email or telephone services. It’s important to us that the sales and customer teams are continuing to support customers and take new orders – demand for home chargers is only set to grow as many of us have been fortunate enough to enjoy cleaner air during the lockdown.
LM: What is your ambition with Andersen going forward, and where do you see the business in five years’ time?
DS: We will develop the business into becoming a major player in the niche part of the EV sector. We want to lead the way and be known for the best design, best technology and products that have real longevity. Our EV chargers will be the intelligent centre of homes, allowing owners their usage and control with green renewable energy. We are fully committed to offering great end-to-end service, and we want to be proud of the delivery around that.
I’m nurturing a great team with a family atmosphere because I’ve always seen success from a non-corporate mentality. In five years’ time, I hope to see my business thriving with the same energy, a bit more governance, of course, and fun.
LM: Thank you for your time David, and it has been a pleasure speaking to you.
Andersen – Where and How?
For more information on Andersen, visit https://andersen-ev.com.
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