Alphabet strikes charge point partnership with NewMotion

Smart charging electric vehicle (EV) company, NewMotion, has agreed a deal to provide charge points for Alphabet drivers and customers both at home and in the workplace.

NewMotion, a member of the Shell Group, will cover the whole process from consulting and installation to operation of the charge points, back-office management and 24/7 support, says Alphabet. 

All of Alphabet’s 168,000 customers, new and existing, will be able to access a complete smart charging package.

Simon Carr, chief commercial officer at Alphabet (GB), explained: “We’re committed to supporting the UK’s ‘Net Zero’ strategy and have been leading the way in leasing electric vehicles for many years now, so our shared passion for eMobility makes NewMotion a great fit for the Alphabet brand.”

He continued: “NewMotion brings with it over a decade of experience in home and workplace charging and coupled with our AlphaElectric expertise, businesses really are in the best hands when choosing Alphabet to electrify their fleet.”

The new smart home chargers will be available to all Alphabet customers at an introductory price of £359, reduced from £549, for the first 90 days – this includes those who already own a plug-in vehicle or are looking to order one.

NewMotion are also able to provide solutions and expert advice for employers interested in installing charge points at their place of work, it said.

Alan McCleave, New Motion’s UK general manager, explained: “NewMotion offers a complete package of hardware, software services and support solutions which can be tailored to fit every customers’ needs.

“It will give customers of Alphabet the ease of use and insight into charging costs of their fleet and employees.

“Our partnership will make EV charging easier and more accessible for lease drivers all throughout the UK.”

With NewMotion as a partner, Alphabet customers will have access to more than 2,500 public charge points across the UK, including over 800 rapid charge points, accessed through the NewMotion charge card and app.

The EV charging app allows drivers to receive real-time insight on charge tariffs, charge speeds and availability of public charge points, as well as information on the estimated range increase or time to get to a target charge level.

The EV charge cards provide fleet managers with one invoice for all power consumption and real time management of the charging sessions.

Earlier this year, the Government reduced Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) grants for home charging installation, but the demand for electric vehicles continues to grow, which will be further encouraged by the newly introduced benefit-in-kind (BIK) tax rates.

Leasing companies have reported a surge in interest in electric vehicles (EVs) thanks, in part, to a BIK tax rate of zero percent for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in 2020/21.

As of March 2020, Alphabet said it had seen a triple digit increase in orders for plug-in vehicles over the past 12 months.