UK drivers “could save £1.5 billion a year” on EV charging

Charge point operator Connected Kerb is rolling out smart charging across its nationwide public network following a successful trial last year. 

It’s new public smart charging offering will see lower overnight tariffs of £0.45 per kWh for drivers, extending the full benefits of smart charging to everyone. Thanks to the lower costs, drivers could save up to £222 per year on charging, the equivalent of 495 free EV miles, it said. Collectively across the network, this would save more than £1.5 billion a year by 2030 on the cost of charging an EV.

The rollout, set to begin in April, will see the majority of Connected Kerb’s charge points – 6,000 already installed and 4,000 to be deployed this year – activated to be capable of smart charging by 2025.

The company’s smart charging allow drivers to schedule charging during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest and greenest, saving money, cutting carbon and reducing pressure on the grid. It claims this is the first time scheduled charging during off-peak hours has become available on a public charging network. 

Until now, 62% of drivers without access to home charging have not been able to benefit from these lower electricity tariffs at off-peak times.

Ben Boutcher-West, Chief Digital Officer at Connected Kerb, said: 

“Public smart charging is the catalyst we need to create a fairer, greener, and cheaper charging network. We know that just under two thirds of people in the UK don’t have access to a home charger, which is why we’re committed to levelling the playing field between those who can access smart charging and those who can’t. 

“By increasing the speed of charging when energy is cheapest, we can now offer drivers lower-cost tariffs, maximise the use of green energy and take strain off the grid. Our rollout of public smart charging isn’t just a major milestone for Connected Kerb, but the UK’s EV transition as a whole, bringing our public charging network one stop closer to democratising the gap between those with and without off-street parking.”

Image from Connected Kerb

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