Electric briefs: Latest EV news from Nissan, Ohme, Hyundai, Be.EV, SSE, Clenergy EV and Octopus Electroverse

Whisky distillery adds electric vehicles to pool car fleet

Nissan is helping one of the world’s most famous whisky distilleries make the transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

The Glenmorangie Company, which operates in a number of locations across Scotland, is adding two fully electric Nissan Ariyas to its busy fleet of pool cars.

Sandy Fraser, estates and workplace, employee experience manager at The Glenmorangie Company, explained that the pool car review was part of a wider exercise to improve colleagues’ working arrangements across the organisation.

He said: ‘‘Before moving to fully electric vehicles, our pool cars had been run in partnership with various leasing companies, all of whom were doing a good job for us but were operating in different ways.

‘‘We decided we would rather have one provider so opted for Athlon. We have also invested significantly in the infrastructure we need at our sites to make it possible.’’

Fraser explained that one of the Ariyas would be assigned to the Ardbeg distillery on Islay, with the other based at the Livingston bottling hall, where a recent multi-million-pound renovation has led to the installation of a number of EV charging points.

Karen Reid, national sorporate sales manager at Nissan Fleet Sales, said: ‘‘Glenmorangie has made impressive strides in its decarbonisation journey in recent years and the team there deserve huge credit for their efforts.

‘‘We’re delighted to be a chosen manufacturer partner as they add EVs to their vehicle parc and we look forward to our relationship continuing for many years to come.’’

Ohme is new official smart charging partner for Hyundai

Hyundai Motor UK has chosen smart charging company Ohme as its new official home charging partner.

The agreement will see Hyundai recommend Ohme chargers for its EV sales.

“Hyundai is at the forefront of the move to electric mobility with its innovative and fast-growing EV range and a great partner for Ohme,” said David Watson, Ohme CEO.

“We look forward to introducing Hyundai drivers to the benefits of dynamic smart charging with reduced running costs and low CO2 charging.”

Ashley Andrew, president, Hyundai and Genesis UK, added “Ohme is one of the fastest growing smart charging companies in the UK.

“Its technical innovation and extremely high levels of customer service make for an ideal partnership with Hyundai as we continue to expand our EV range with the new Kona and Ioniq 5 N.”

Ohme’s dynamic smart chargers can connect with the grid in real time, automatically adjusting to optimise the cost of charging and accessing all the times of the smartest, greenest and lowest cost energy tariffs.

First new EV charging hub opens as part of £15m deal

The first electric vehicle (EV) charging hub, which is part of £15m deal with Be.EV to improve infrastructure in the borough, has opened in Stockport.

The Stockport site is equipped with four charging bays – two ultra-rapid, one rapid and one fast.

The new charging hub marks the start of the partnership between Stockport Council and Be.EV.

Signing a deal with the local authority in March last year, it has agreed to deliver 20 charging hubs.

Sites across Stockport on Ashbrook Lane, Church Road, Massie Street, Mellor Road and Commercial Road East are all due to go live in the coming months, with Be.EV members able to charge their car for free on launch days.

On Tuesday (January 16), Be.EV executives, councillors and the general public gathered to celebrate the launch of the Romiley site, with nearly £800 of charge given away by Be.EV.

Anyone will be able to use the chargers, with Be.EV members able to charge their car at a discounted rate.

Be.EV funded all up-front installation and operating costs for the Romiley Precinct hub, as well as managed the design, build, installation of the site, and ongoing maintenance – delivering a turn-key solution for Stockport Council.

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, said: “It is great to see the first hub from our partnership with Stockport Council up and running, and we’re excited to install more community focused charging infrastructure across the borough.”

Clenergy EV joins Octopus Electroverse

Clenergy EV has joined Octopus Energy’s Electroverse platform.

The partnership will see up to 4,000 new public EV charge points added to Octopus Electroverse, with 750 being available in Wales. 

This has been made possible via the integration with Clenergy EV which includes brands such as Dragon Charging, EV Dot, Nest and era SuperCharge. 

Electroverse launched in 2020 and gives access to nearly 600 charge points brands removing the need for multiple apps.

Will David, CEO of Clenergy EV, said: “The EV industry is at a pivotal moment in the rollout of an effective public charging network - it will only be truly successful if it offers EV drivers a positive charging experience.

“We firmly believe that collaboration is the key, and our partnership with Octopus Electroverse is another step forward in our journey to ensure that EV charge points are accessible and hassle-free for all.” 

Matt Davies, director at Octopus Electroverse added: “Through this latest deal with Clenergy EV, drivers can access even more charge points with just one tap of their Octopus Electroverse card.

“We’re on a mission to make charging on-the-go as simple as possible for drivers – and it’s brilliant to be partnering with Clenergy EV to expand our charge point coverage across Wales.”

New electric vehicle charging hub for Leith

A new electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at Leith Waterfront’s Ocean Terminal has been approved by City of Edinburgh councillors. 

The hub, powered by SSE, will form part of the major redevelopment of Ocean Terminal which is currently underway. 

It will have six EV chargers which will be able to charge up to 12 vehicles at a time, with two of the bays in the hub designated for accessible parking.

Chris Richardson, managing director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owners of Ocean Terminal, said: “As the future of Ocean Terminal changes, so too do the needs of our centre users and we are proud to be working with our partners at SSE, a company which is at the forefront of decarbonisation solutions, to meet modern requirements for clean fuel and green travel options.”

Kevin Welstead, EV Director from SSE Energy Solutions, added: “We’re proud to announce this site with Ocean Terminal which will provide ultra-rapid EV charging facilities for their customers to have at their disposal.

“This site is a perfect example of how drivers can conveniently and quickly charge their electric vehicle as they go about their day."