In this week’s EV Roundup, the AA’s latest EV report shows home charging costs falling, but costs for other types of EV charging rose slightly. RAW Charging has announced that it has activated new EV charging facilities at over 50 Greene King sites since March 2023, while SMS plc has been appointed by Elmbridge Borough Council to install 25 new chargepoints at eight council-owned locations, and EV chargepoint operator GRIDSERVE says it has reached 50 Super Hubs built or in construction this year.
Home EV charging costs drop by almost 12% says AA EV Recharge Report
Ofgem’s new energy price cap will knock 11.8% off home EV charging, according to the July 2023 AA EV Recharge Report.
The new energy price cap sees electricity fall from 34p p/kWh to 30p, but flat-rate public charging costs still rose by at least 1p compared to June, with slow charging rates rising by 4p to 48p p/kWh.
While the rate for the slowest form of home charging, under 7kW, fell, slow public chargers under 7kW rose due to a council-announced increase in Brighton and Hove from 39 p/kWh to 61 p/kWh, a 56% increase, which drove the average kerbside cost across the country up 4%.
The increases in charging costs despite the falls in energy prices since last year may leave EV drivers feeling disappointed, AA said.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “The majority of EV owners have their own dedicated charging source and would’ve reaped the benefits of the drop in the Energy Price Cap when charging at home.”
“However, that benefit may have been missed completely for those who are solely reliant on the public network. While wholesale electricity costs have dropped considerably from last summer, some networks increased their prices. With the Competition and Markets Authority and Government keen to keep an eye on pump prices, there is a strong argument to consider mirroring their activities for EV charging costs in the public realm.”
RAW Charging installs EV chargers at over 50 Greene King sites since March
Chargepoint operator RAW Charging has announced that it has activated new EV charging facilities at over 50 Greene King sites since March 2023, with a pipeline of around 25 more sites per month.
The company installed 250 EV chargepoints at over 50 Greene King sites since March, which RAW says is one of the fastest rollouts in the hospitality sector. The company has activated over 500 chargepoints for Greene King so far.
RAW says its chargepoints are “perfect for locations with a dwell time of over two hours, such as at a Greene King pub or hotel.” The company also counts Merlin Entertainments, Bespoke Hotels and National Trust as clients.
Jason Simpson, chief executive of RAW Charging, said: “EV charging is now a must have for hospitality, leisure and retail businesses. The speed of our rollout at Greene King sites demonstrates the importance of reliable charging infrastructure for one of the UK’s leading pub retailers. At RAW Charging, we are a leading provider of EV charging solutions and we are seen as the go-to chargepoint operator for businesses in the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors.”
Elmbridge Borough Council appoints SMS to install 25 chargepoints
SMS plc has been appointed by Elmbridge Borough Council to install 25 new chargepoints at eight council-owned locations.
The new infrastructure will help to improve access for the Southwest London borough’s fleet, employees, and residents. The company has also recently published a report on the current state of public EV charging infrastructure.
The UK government wants there to be 300,000 chargepoints across the country by 2030, the same year that petrol and diesel cars will be banned from sale. The council said that the new chargepoints were also “in line with its 2030 Vision for a thriving and sustainable Elmbridge”.
The 25 EV chargers installed by SMS in total come in addition to the 12 EV chargers already located in Elmbridge’s pay and display car parks.
Councillor David Young, portfolio holder for Climate Change and Sustainability at Elmbridge Borough Council, said: “Working with SMS to improve accessibility to EV charging in the borough has been a crucial step forward in our sustainability journey and will help our residents to make the switch to electric vehicles. At Elmbridge Borough Council, we prioritise protecting the natural environment, and this will help us to reduce our carbon emissions and improve air quality within our neighbourhoods.”
Lee Feihn, head of EV infrastructure at SMS, said: “Providing smart and accessible energy solutions for communities is the heart of what we do, and it’s a pleasure to partner with Elmbridge Borough Council to enhance EV charging options in the area and help them realise their sustainability goals.
“SMS’s industry expertise and engineering capabilities enable us to manage the end-to-end design, installation, and deployment of EV charging infrastructure in Elmbridge. We are confident that we’ve provided the best solution for the borough, which will ensure more of the area’s transport fleet, residents and workers have access to EV chargers as and when they need them.”
GRIDSERVE reaches 50 new Electric Super Hubs built or in construction this year
EV chargepoint operator GRIDSERVE says it has reached 50 Super Hubs built or in construction this year.
Super Hubs typically include 350kW High Power chargepoints, 50x more powerful than a home charger, and capable of providing 100 miles of range in only five minutes. GRIDSERVE says they have 400 new High Power chargepoints built or in construction so far this year across Great Britain.
The company also has dozens of additional Super Hubs being prepared for construction, and hundreds of additional 350kW chargepoints to help meet the Government target of at least six High Power chargepoints at each motorway service area by the end of this year,
The company says the milestone is “part of phase one of its 2023 delivery plans… Phase two of the transformation will see hundreds more High Power chargepoints added later this year.”
Our latest Electric Super Hub is now open at Scotch Corner 🎉
— GRIDSERVE Electric Highway (@ElecHighway) September 1, 2023
Located just south of Darlington on the A1(M), our newest site is home to 12x 350kW-capable High Power chargers, which can provide the latest electric vehicles with 100 miles of range in less than 10 minutes! pic.twitter.com/YYPGv3k8Dr
GRIDSERVE says it is “using innovative technology to minimise issues caused by grid connection lead times. Moto Ferrybridge, for example, features a temporary microgrid that uses batteries and vegetable oil, while Cornwall Services uses a combination of a 100kW grid connection, lithium-ion batteries, solar energy and the latest software developed by GRIDSERVE Technologies to provide High Power Charging.”
Toddington Harper, chief executive of GRIDSERVE, said: “By announcing GRIDSERVE reaching the milestone of our phase one 2023 rollout, we are able to deliver EV drivers further confidence to make the switch knowing they can travel with ease, and net zero carbon emissions, across the length and breadth of the country. It’s clear that the climate crisis is upon us, and it’s critical we continue to increase our pace – we are now also immediately commencing our phase 2-rollout, with the target to also deliver hundreds more High Power chargepoints this year.”
