Planning a commercial EV charging installation with multiple chargers is a structured process. Done well, it produces a site that works for users, meets budget, and is ready to scale. Done poorly, it produces a site that misses one or more of those targets in ways that are expensive to correct later.
This guide sets out the roadmap, stage by stage, and works alongside our process for end-to-end delivery.
Stage One: Use Case and Scale
Define the use case before specifying anything.
Who are the users? Staff, customers, visitors, fleet, mixed?
What is the typical dwell time?
How many users per day are expected at peak?
What is the commercial model? Free, paid, mixed?
What is the operating cost target?
What is the capital budget?
The answers drive everything that follows. A site with 90-minute customer dwell times needs different chargers than a site with 20-minute through-travellers.
Stage Two: Site Assessment
Commission a proper site assessment. Key points:
Existing electrical supply capacity and headroom.
Distance and route from the electrical supply to proposed charger positions.
Civils: surface type, drainage, other utilities under the route.
Parking layout and flow.
Planning and conservation constraints.
Fire safety and building code implications.
Future growth potential (more chargers later).
A good site assessment takes 1-2 weeks and costs £500 to £3,000 for a commercial site. It is money well spent before committing to hardware.
Stage Three: Load and Demand Modelling
Model the expected demand, using EV capacity planning principles:
Number of chargers.
Power per charger.
Utilisation profile (what percentage of chargers are in use at peak?).
Simultaneity factor (diversity).
This produces two numbers: the peak electrical demand and the daily energy consumption.
The peak demand drives the grid connection sizing. The energy consumption drives the revenue model.
Stage Four: Grid Connection Strategy
Based on the peak demand, determine the grid connection approach:
Is the existing supply sufficient? (Rare for multi-charger installations.)
Does an LV upgrade work? (Typical for 10-20 x 7kW charger installations.)
Is an HV connection needed? (Typical for DC rapid sites or large installations.)
Submit a connection enquiry to the DNO early. Response times are 4-12 weeks.
For installations requiring an HV connection, the grid connection is usually the critical path for the whole project. Expect 4-9 months from enquiry to energisation.
Stage Five: Charger and Software Selection
Select chargers based on:
Power level (matched to use case).
Manufacturer reliability and support.
OCPP 2.0.1 compliance.
Warranty terms.
Spare parts availability.
Installation footprint.
Select CPO (back-office) software based on:
User management features.
Payment integration.
Reporting capability.
Integration with existing systems.
Subscription cost.
Do not lock in hardware and software before completing the site assessment and use case definition. Specifications that look fine on paper can fail at the site-specific details.
Stage Six: Planning and Permissions
Check:
Planning permission requirements.
Building control approval (for any structural modifications).
Fire safety sign-off.
Landlord approval (if leased premises).
Local authority EV charging policies.
Most straightforward installations do not require planning permission, but exceptions catch out projects that didn’t check.
Stage Seven: Detailed Design
Produce a comprehensive design pack:
Charger positions and foundations.
Cable routes and ducting.
Distribution board and protection scheme.
Load management configuration.
Control cabinet location.
Signage and wayfinding.
Fire safety provisions.
Maintenance access.
This is typically 50-100 pages of drawings and specifications for a multi-charger commercial site. It forms the basis for procurement and construction.
Stage Eight: Procurement
Procure:
Chargers (lead times 6-16 weeks).
Electrical distribution equipment.
Civils materials.
Installation labour.
Software licences.
Signage.
On a well-run project, procurement runs in parallel with design completion, not sequentially.
Stage Nine: Installation
Installation runs in a predictable sequence:
Civils: excavation, ducting, foundations.
Electrical: main supply cable, distribution board, final circuits.
Charger installation and termination.
Signage and markings.
Testing and commissioning.
For a 10-charger site, installation typically takes 2-4 weeks on site, assuming civils and electrical trades can work in parallel on different sections.
Stage Ten: Commissioning
Commissioning includes:
Electrical compliance testing per BS7671.
Charger functional testing.
CPO platform setup and testing.
Payment integration testing.
User documentation preparation.
Staff training.
A poorly-commissioned charger site produces daily user complaints. A well-commissioned site runs cleanly from day one.
Stage Eleven: Go-Live and Hand-Over
Before go-live:
Final safety sign-off.
Insurance updates.
Signage in place.
Payment systems tested with real transactions.
Monitoring dashboards configured.
Escalation procedure agreed.
The day of go-live should be uneventful. If things go wrong on day one, the testing wasn’t thorough enough.
Stage Twelve: Operation and Growth
Ongoing operational activities:
Monitor utilisation and revenue.
Track fault rates and resolution times.
Gather user feedback.
Review capacity vs demand quarterly.
Plan expansions based on observed growth.
A growing EV installation looks different after 12 months than on day one. Plan for that.
Common Timeline
For a typical 6-charger site on an existing supply that only needs an LV upgrade:
Stages 1-3 (planning, assessment, demand modelling): 6-10 weeks.
Stages 4-5 (grid connection, charger selection): 8-16 weeks (parallel with design).
Stages 6-8 (permissions, design, procurement): 10-18 weeks (overlapping).
Stage 9 (installation): 2-4 weeks.
Stages 10-11 (commissioning, go-live): 2-3 weeks.
Total: 20-35 weeks from start to go-live.
For installations requiring an HV connection, add 3-6 months.
Typical Budget
For a 6-charger site with 22kW AC chargers:
Hardware: £10,000 to £20,000.
Installation: £15,000 to £30,000.
Grid connection upgrade: £5,000 to £25,000.
Software and setup: £3,000 to £8,000.
Design and project management: £3,000 to £8,000.
Total: £36,000 to £91,000.
Budgets can be materially higher or lower depending on site specifics. For a broader breakdown see our commercial EV charger installation guide.
Common Pitfalls
Skipping the site assessment and ordering hardware based on a supplier’s recommendation.
Under-sizing the grid connection and needing to upgrade within 12-24 months.
Choosing cheap hardware that lacks long-term firmware support.
Picking CPO software that can’t scale or integrate with existing systems.
Failing to plan for future expansion.
Poor signage and user communication at go-live.
Each of these is avoidable with proper planning.
The Bottom Line
A multi-charger commercial EV installation is a proper infrastructure project, not a plug-and-play amenity. Treat it like one: clear use case, rigorous site assessment, accurate demand modelling, adequate grid provision, and good project management from feasibility to go-live. The installations that deliver long-term value are the ones that followed this kind of structured approach. The ones that disappoint are the ones that tried to shortcut it.