UK energy supplier Ovo Energy rolled out its new EV charging tariff yesterday, following the success of a pilot scheme undertaken in January this year. The firm says the scheme marks an industry first, in that the company’s energy plan offers customers separate rates for their car and home energy usage.
By splitting the vehicle charging costs from domestic charges, customers will every month receive credits for the amount of energy they saved via smart charging, in a move the firm predicts could cut EV charging costs by up to 70%
The new ‘Drive Anytime’ tariff will give Ovo’s customers a guaranteed flat rate of 5p per k/Wh, regardless of whether they are charging during peak energy demand or not. This equates to a third of the typical 16.6p rate. According to the supplier, the new scheme could reduce EV driver’s charging costs in the UK to around £100 per annum.
“Our OVO Drive + Anytime trial in January was a real success and we’re thrilled to be rolling out this pioneering new plan nationwide,” said Chris Russell, Managing Director of OVO Drive in a statement. “To be able to offer our EV-driving customers an affordable and hassle-free way of joining us in our mission to achieve a carbon zero future is amazing. We want to encourage the use of electric vehicles as a carbon-conscious lifestyle choice, and it should be easy and accessible – with the help of Kaluza’s cutting edge technology, our new Drive + Anytime plan embodies that vision perfectly.”
Technology used for the new system comes from Kaluza, the energy supplier’s spinoff, which has created an AI-based software to automatically charge vehicles during times of low energy demand. A mobile app allows EV drivers to select when they need their car charged by, and Kaluza’s tech is put to work.
“For the world to step up its response to the climate emergency and drastically cut emissions from energy, we need to take advantage of the latest smart technologies at our fingertips,” Autumn Pray, Kaluza Chief Product Officer commented. “The OVO Drive Anytime tariff is a prime example of how we can make it easy for individual customers to become the driving force of the energy transition.”
Sources
https://www.techdigest.tv/2021/08/ovo-energy-launches-ev-charging-tariff.html
