It’s been a big week for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, from OVO offering EV drivers their first 6,000 miles free, the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) releasing its EV chargepoint specifications guidance, and UK Power Networks begins work on enabling a fully electric bus depot in Norwich.
Current± summarises the key EV stories from the past week below.
Current±‘s editorial team also attended our publisher, Solar Media’s EV World Congress this week. Readers can find our on-the-ground coverage of both day one and day two of the conference by following the links.
EV drivers get first 6,000 miles free with new OVO partnership

OVO Energy has partnered with the leasing broker, Select Car Leasing to offer EV drivers their first 6,000 charging miles free.
Following the partnership, EV drivers that choose to switch from their current home energy supplier to OVO’s Charge Anytime EV add-on.
Charge Anytime offers customers a charging rate of 10p/kWh at any time of day – the equivalent of 3p per mile, – and is three times cheaper than the national average of 26p/kWh, according to OVO.
Select Car Leasing customers that make the switch will receive £200 into their energy account (the price equivalent to charging miles).
“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,” said Mark Tongue, joint CEO and co-founder of Select Car Leasing.
“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 (EV) 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 [based on a car with an average mpg of 39.5 and with fuel at £1.57 a litre]. And the cost comparison illustrates perfectly some of the savings that can be made by switching from a traditionally fuelled car to an EV.
“Meanwhile our free charging miles promotion with OVO makes leasing and charging an electric vehicle more affordable than ever.
“OVO and Select are on a shared mission to help customers decarbonise their lives. Electric vehicles are part of that process, and we are extremely excited that Select is now OVO’s recommended EV leasing partner. We look forward to working together in the coming months and years to make leasing and charging an EV as efficient as possible.”
Alex Thwaites, director of EVs at OVO added: “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.”
OZEV releases UK chargepoint specifications

This week (10 October) saw the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) release its EV chargepoint and infrastructure specifications guidance.
According to the guidance paper, all installed chargepoints must:
- Supply 3.5kW minimum to each charging socket
- Have a 3-year onsite warranty on parts and installation
- Meet the accessibility needs of EV owners with disabilities and mobility issues
In terms of chargepoint and infrastructure for business staff and fleet car parks, as well as for residential and commercial landlords (including car parks), OZEV set out the following specifications.
Charging infrastructure must comprise at least:
- a new electrical connection at a metered electrical supply point (e.g. consumer unit or feeder pillar)
- a dedicated, safe, unobstructed route for electrical cabling from the electrical supply point to all installed chargepoints and future connection locations
Future chargepoint locations – such as a busbar system with connection locations for future chargepoints – must also be ready for someone to install chargepoints at a future date with minimal infrastructure work.
Additionally, chargepoint installations for renters and flat owners must be carried out per the:
- ‘Electric vehicle conductive charging system Part 1: General requirements’ (BS EN 61851-1:2019) as well as the current edition of the IET wiring regulations in the 2020 paper (BS 7671:2018+A1:2020)
- The amended Charging Equipment Installations
- The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations
For further information, readers can visit the full guidance page on the GOV.UK website here.
UKPN begins work to make Norwich bus depot fully electric

UK Power Networks (UKPN) has begun work to make the Roundtree Way depot, Norwich, fully electric.
The distribution network operator (DNO), has begun installing new underground cables and equipment at a substation close to the depot, to allow Roundtree Way to be upgraded to power electric buses. This will enable the bus operator, First Bus to run 70 new electric buses in Norwich by the end of March 2024.
“The electrification of Roundtree Way is a critical part of the project that will see 70 new electric buses serving Norwich,” said Piers Marlow, managing director of First East of England.
“The electric buses will not only improve the journey experience for our customers, they will significantly reduce carbon emissions, each saving up to 60 tonnes per year, and will improve air quality for the city, creating a cleaner, greener environment for people to live, work and enjoy.”
The project forms part of UKPN’s Green Recovery programme, which is currently investing £66 million across 85 sites to support low-carbon energy projects.
These projects include new underground cables and equipment at a local substation in London to enable Abellio London’s Twickenham Bus Depot to run 150 buses.
“UK Power Networks’ essential upgrade work will support the rollout needed for 70 new electric buses between now and next March. Working with First Bus and UK Power Networks, this paves the way for us to become home to one of only three all-electric fleet depots in the UK outside London and is an amazing boost to our ambitions to run a net-zero transport system in Norfolk,” said councillor Graham Plant, Norfolk County Council’s cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport.
“We understand how frustrating disruption caused by roadworks can be, especially for those living or working in the immediate area. Keeping this in mind, we will continue to work hard with our contractors and partners to minimise any additional impact alongside the important safety improvements to the Heartsease roundabout area and to complete all work as soon as possible.”