Electric briefs: Latest EV news from Ovo, Gridserve, Zapmap and Be.EV

Free home-charging deal for electric vehicle drivers

Ovo and Select Car Leasing have joined forces to provide new customers 6,000 free electric vehicle (EV) charging miles.

Customers of Select Car Leasing, who choose to switch from their current home energy supply to Ovo’s Charge Anytime EV add-on, will get the electricity for their first 6,000 miles charged at home for free. 

Charge Anytime is a smart charging EV tariff that gives access to a charging rate of 10p per kWh (equating to 3p a mile), which is three times cheaper than the national average (26p per kWh). 

The cost savings of the free add-on will appear as a credit against energy bills.

To access the free miles, Select Car Leasing’s customers will receive £200 to their energy account (the equivalent to charging miles) after taking delivery of an eligible vehicle.

Alex Thwaites, director of EVs at Ovo, said: “We are super excited about partnering with Select Car Leasing as it enables us to reward even more people across the UK for making this essential switch.

“At OVO, we are committed to providing our customers with access to cleaner and more affordable energy where possible, if we’re to reach our net zero goals.”

Mark Tongue, joint CEO and co-founder at Select Car Leasing, added: “The number one goal at Select Car Leasing is to drive down the cost of motoring for our customers.

“As we transition to electric cars and vans, there’s a fantastic opportunity to reduce vehicle running costs further by charging at home. That’s why we’re delighted to partner with Ovo Energy.

“By switching to Ovo’s Charge Anytime add-on, our customers can charge their electric vehicle at home from just 3p per mile. That compares very favourably to the cost of fuelling the average petrol or diesel car, which is currently around 18p per mile.”

Gridserve strengthens salary sacrifice offering with Go Zero Charge home charger

Gridserve is now offering the Optimus, Go Zero Charge’s smart EV home charger, to bolster its salary sacrifice electric vehicle (EV) scheme.

The new charger joins a full complement of benefits to choose from on the Gridserve salary sacrifice scheme already, including three months’ charging included on the nationwide Gridserve Electric Highway.

Robert Buckland, chief leasing officer for Gridserve Car Leasing, said: “This new option makes for an attractive offer for both employers and employees.

“We look forward to working with Go Zero Charge to offer a great home charging option as we welcome more businesses and their employees to our salary sacrifice scheme.”

The Optimus home charger enables homeowners to schedule charges based on cheaper, off-peak tariffs to save money on electricity bills and have the opportunity to rent out their charger to earn a supplemental income while at work or on holiday.

David Wells, chief executive officer at Go Zero Charge, said: “Go Zero Charge is thrilled to work with Gridserve on the company’s salary sacrifice EV scheme, enabling as many employees as possible to make the transition to EVs.”

Zapmap adds PoGo charging points to its platform

PoGo, the ultra-rapid EV charging network, is now live on the Zapmap app and desktop map after becoming a Zapmap live data partner.

The partnership means electric car drivers now have visibility of all PoGo charging points – present and future – in Zapmap’s UK-wide charge point map.

This includes all PoGo charging locations, key information about each charge point, and 24/7 live availability status, so that drivers know when a charge point is available.

Stuart Douglas, managing director of PoGo, said: “PoGo is creating a charging experience for EV drivers that is simple to use and hassle-free, and having our charge points live on Zapmap makes it even easier for new and existing customers to find us, and find an EV charge point they can rely on.

“Our mission as a charge point operator is to support the UK’s switch to electric vehicles and Net Zero with an ambitious target of creating a network of over 2,000 ultra-modern, ultra-rapid charging stations in our first four years.

“Having already secured locations for 350 new high-power chargers we are excited for the future rollout of PoGo charging sites.”

Matt Lloyd, from Zapmap, added: “I’m really pleased to welcome PoGo on board as a Zapmap Live data partner.

“With PoGo chargers strategically located at retail, roadside and hospitality sites across the UK, the network is a valuable addition for Zapmap users up and down the country.”

PoGo’s chargers are also live on the roaming service Octopus Electroverse, and the PoGo team is making progress with a number of other partnerships to make the network even easier to access for EV drivers.

Sale Water Park switches on Manchester’s largest ultra-rapid EV charging hub

Trafford’s Sale Water Park has opened the largest ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging hub in Greater Manchester.

The £1million site is installed and maintained by EV charging network Be.Ev.

Equipped with 16 ultra-rapid charging bays, it can charge up to 380 EVs each day and is accessible around the clock to Trafford residents and commuters on the M60, which sees an average daily traffic of over 100,000 vehicles.

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.Ev, said: “We’re really pleased to be bringing ultra-rapid charging to Sale. The water park is a hub of activity, and it was great to see the local community and Be.EV members visit the site and learn about the cutting-edge chargers.

“It’s important that EV charging matches what communities need. We want to create charging hubs that are at the right speeds in the right places - rapid and ultra-rapid hubs in proximity to major motorways and trunk roads will play a key role in this mission.

“Sale Water Park is a beautiful site, and we’re proud to provide local residents and M60 commuters alike with reliable, ultra-rapid charging whilst enjoying the park’s scenery and attractions or simply passing through.” 

Richard Roe, Trafford Council corporate director of place, added: “Sale Water Park is one of the borough’s most popular destinations so we’re delighted visitors will now be able to take advantage of these convenient rapid chargers.

“We hope their launch will encourage more people to join the EV movement while continuing our ambition to make it possible for anyone to go electric, no matter where they live in Trafford.”

Sale Water Park is the latest project in Be.Ev’s wider collaboration with Trafford Council, and has already seen more than 41 chargers go live across the region.