Electric briefs: Latest EV news from Osprey, Arval, Loveelectric.cars, PoGo Charge, Applegreen Electric, Qwello and E-Merge Group

Osprey Charging hits major network milestone

Osprey Charging now has more than 1,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers on the public network, making it the third largest public rapid charging network according to Zapmap statistics.

In the past 12 months, Osprey has launched flagship hubs in key locations such as Devon, Cumbria, Essex, Dunbartonshire, Carmarthenshire and Nottinghamshire.

Ian Johnston, Osprey Charging CEO, said: “The rate of growth is matched by the highest standards of service offered to our drivers, through a reliable and easy to use nationwide network.

“Recent findings from the House of Lords have highlighted the need to speed up the roll-out of charging infrastructure by tackling delays for funding and planning regulations, as well as the equalisation of VAT rates between domestic and public charging.

“Both recommendations are welcomed by Osprey as they will ultimately help deliver an improved customer experience for EV drivers.”

Arval and Last Mile Solutions partnership expands EV charging services for fleets 

Arval and Last Mile Solutions have agreed a deal to offer EV charging services to Arval fleet customers across Europe. 

Fleets will get direct access to a European network of more than 600,000 charge points via a single platform, while the pair have also agreed to work on introducing new technologies, like vehicle-to-grid, to the fleet market.  

Arval has the ambition to lease 350,000 battery electric vehicles (BEV) in its global fleet by 2025, lowering its emissions by 35% to 93g CO₂ per vehicle per kilometre on average. 

Eric Van Voorden, CEO of Last Mile Solutions, said: “Our EV charging services will allow Arval to take a unified and pan-European approach to the EV charging network. This partnership also represents our joint commitment to a vision of a cleaner and more sustainable.

Bart Beckers, deputy CEO and chief commercial officer of Arval, added: “While the global charging infrastructure continues to develop, it is necessary for us to provide charging solutions to our customers for their vehicles.

“We are very glad to work with our partner Last Mile Solutions to achieve our objectives towards electrification and to sustain our clients’ energy transition, by offering them optimal services with great benefits such as reimbursements for home charging, among others.”

Drivers offered up to 5,000 free EV miles

Loveelectric.cars in partnership with OVO, is offering 5,000 free miles for new customers and subsequent charging at just 7p per kWh with Ovo's Charge Anytime EV add-on.

“Our collaboration with Ovo is a significant stride towards sustainable corporate transportation,” said Steve Tigar, CEO of Loveelectric.cars.

“With pressure mounting on businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and more companies than ever before pledging to switch to fully electric fleets, partnerships like this will ensure more people can afford to make the transition.”

For customers without access to a compatible home charger, Ovo's Charge Anywhere option will ensure that every Loveelectric.cars driver can get their 5,000 free miles, regardless of their charging set-up.

Alex Thwaites, director of EVs, Ovo, said: “We want to make green driving a no-brainer and support customers to make the switch. We’re proud to partner with Loveelectric.cars and offer Charge Anytime to even more households.”

Hypervolt, a home-grown British home EV charger company, compliments this offer with their solar-compatible smart chargers.

Compatible with OVO’s Charge Anytime EV add-on, Loveelectric.cars customers will have the option to bundle their electric car, smart charger and EV tariff together.

Applegreen Electric goes live on Zapmap’s cross-network payment solution

En-route electric vehicle (EV) charging network Applegreen Electric is the latest network to go live on Zap-Pay.

Established in 2021 as a subsidiary of Applegreen, Applegreen Electric focuses exclusively on the delivery of high-powered EV charge point infrastructure for en-route charging.

The operator is rolling out a network of ultra-rapid charging points at motorway service areas (MSAs) across the UK, as well as the USA and Ireland.

The charging provider currently operates around 160 chargers stretching from Scotland to the home counties, primarily at MSAs on the strategic road network.

Jack O’Brien, country manager at Applegreen Electric, said: “Integrating with Zap-Pay is another really exciting step forward for Applegreen Electric.

“Zapmap is already an important partner for us in terms of helping drivers to find our charge points and plan their routes around Applegreen Electric locations. So I’m thrilled to see this integration go live and delighted to add our network to Zapmap’s cross-network payment solution.”

The charge point operator joins live Zap-Pay partners Osprey, ESB Energy, Chargy, GeniePoint, Mer, MFG EV Power, Fastned, Alfa Power, Connected Kerb, Evyve and Charge My Street.

More integrations and announcements around Zap-Pay are to follow over the coming weeks and months.

Start-up reports £1m turnover in just one year

Leeds-based specialist renewable energy and electric vehicle (EV) firm, E-Merge Group, has reported turnover of £1 million since it was established just 12 months ago.

Set up in April 2023 by renewable energy experts, Marc Haley and Charlotte Ward, the E-Merge Group provides a renewable energy and EV solution, helping businesses reduce energy costs while navigating the transition to cleaner, greener energy alternatives.

Providing solar PV systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), power infrastructure, EV solutions, energy monitoring and onsite energy efficiency services, the business boasts three separate divisions - E-Merge Renewable Energy, E-Merge EV Solutions and E-Merge Power Infrastructure.

Co-founder and director of the E-Merge Group, Hayley, said: “To turnover £1m in our first year of operations is an absolutely fantastic achievement and something that both Charlotte and I are immensely proud of.

“We’re passionate about delivering viable, cost-effective renewable energy and EV solutions for each and every client, to revolutionise their sustainable and environmental, social and governance (ESG) credentials and deliver ‘profit for purpose’ for firms within a range of sectors across the UK.”

He added: “We have a number of really exciting projects in the pipeline, including the unveiling of a new, customer-facing software platform and the roll out of EV infrastructure technology that’s exclusive to the UK. We’re really excited about the future of E-Merge Group and we’re just getting started.”

EV drivers to benefit from up to 500 new charging points  

Up to 500 charge points are to be installed across Solihull as part of a new contract to supercharge the borough’s EV charging network.   

Following a competitive tender process, Solihull Council has awarded a contract to pan-European charge point operator Qwello to install new charging points within council car parks and on-street destinations by 2026.  

Phase one of the rollout will see over 150 charging points installed across nine locations, with the first sites anticipated to go live this summer.   

As part of the contract, ultra-rapid charging points will also be provided by InstaVolt, with 16 due to be installed in the first phase alone.   

The roll-out of new charging points is supported by a £800,000 grant from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) pilot project, awarded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and Department for Transport (DfT).  

Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, cabinet portfolio holder for climate change and planning, said: “This is fantastic news for Solihull which will more than double the borough’s existing EV charging capacity.”  

Qwello UK's managing director, Martin Hale, added: “We are thrilled to be working with our installation and maintenance partners Radius Charge Installations, InstaVolt and Solihull Council to help realise their ambitious EV charging plans.”   

Each charging station also features an integrated retractable cable with an 11kW 3 Phase Type 2 plug that reduces trip hazards, can be operated with one hand, plus a 22kW AC Type 2 socket. Both are compatible with all European and US EV-connection standards.  

PoGo Charge delivers first of new ultra-rapid charging hubs 

Senior executives from Kew Green Hotels, PoGo Charge and ChargeSafe gathered at the Holiday Inn Birmingham for the launch of the initial phase of up to 40 new charging hubs set to be installed at hotels across the UK.

PoGo Charge’s new 12-bay EV charging hub at Holiday Inn Birmingham has six 200kW ultra-rapid PoGo Touch Plus chargers for day-time visitors and six 7kW AC Posts more suited to overnight guests.

Each of the 12 bays is clearly marked with hatched areas in front each charger to improve accessibility; an end bay has additional hatching on either side. 

The Holiday Inn Birmingham is the first installation in a contract signed last year for PoGo Charge to deliver 32 sites in 2024 for Kew Green Hotels which in addition to the Holiday Inn Birmingham will comprise a further 176 ultra-rapid EV charging points and 156 AC EV charging points at hotels nationwide. Thirteen of those sites are expected to be delivered by June 2024. 

Stuart Douglas, managing director of PoGo Charge, said: “The installations will prove a major boost to EV motorists across the UK and a major benefit to the hotels in meeting the needs of their guests.”