Wednesday 3 July 2013

Would you like a free EV charging point?

Do you own an electric vehicle (EV)? Would you like to have a charging point installed in your home free of charge?

Energy supplier British Gas has launched its first free nationwide charging package and access to the POLAR public charging network provided by Chargemaster whilst on the move.

The offer, available until 31st March 2015, is open to anyone - not just British Gas customers - and jointly funded through British Gas and the Government's Office for Low Emission Vehicles.

Andreas Atkins, Head of Electric Vehicle Services at British Gas said: “This offer is a milestone for the UK’s electric vehicle market. The number of electric vehicles on the road is predicted to hit 1.5m by 2020 and the Government funding scheme which makes this offer possible is doing a lot to help reduce the cost of owning an EV even further.

“As the offer is open to anyone it’s a great time for the friends or family of EV drivers to install electric vehicle charge points at their homes. For example, if someone is making a regular journey to and from a relative’s house then having a charge point at both destinations could be worthwhile.”

To be eligible, consumers will need an 02 data network connection which will be used to collect the usage information after which British Gas will run tests during the survey to check for eligibility.

Another initiative is seeking 100 drivers to be part of a trial that will look at ways of managing the impact of EVs on the local electricity grid. Earlier this year ELN also reported UK businesses could cut their fleet fuel costs by 75% if they switch to hybrid or electric vehicles.