ScottishPower has launched an ‘end-to-end’ electric vehicle deal alongside a car retailer to offer drivers an EV of their choice with an installation of a home charger, powered with green electricity.
Following last month’s announcement that the company had sold its gas and hydro assets to be 100% powered by wind, the company has continued its shift to decarbonised technologies with the new agreement with vehicle dealership Arnold Clark.
This will allow buyers to purchase or lease an EV, book a home installation of a charge point from Wallbox, and sign up to an exclusive 100% renewable electricity tariff as part of the same package.
ScottishPower’s chief executive Keith Anderson said: “After removing carbon from how we generate electricity we believe the decarbonisation of the UK’s transport system has to be next. This means industry and government working together to build the infrastructure so we can charge electric vehicles as well as building clean and cheap renewables to bring down the cost of motoring.
“The UK needs to decarbonise transport faster and we have to make the switch to electric vehicles simpler.”
Once installed, customers will be able to use the ScottishPower App to facilitate the smart functionality of their home charger. This will ultimately allow vehicle charging to be remotely scheduled for either day or night time charging to take advantage of cheaper unit rates at off peak times.
The announcement of the new offer comes as ScottishPower releases the results of a YouGov survey it commissioned which found that 20% of adults who don’t currently own an electric vehicle, or aren’t currently in the process of buying one, will be considering either the purchase or lease of an electric in less than three years.
In addition, and in support of the utility’s new offer, the poll of 2,000 people also found a third of those who don’t currently own an EV would be more likely to consider purchasing one if the manufacturers guaranteed that their power would come from 100% renewable sources.
Eddie Hawthorne, Arnold Clark chief executive and group managing director, said: “The landscape of the automotive market is changing and inevitably the buying behaviour of our customers. Arnold Clark will continue to provide great value for money and knowledge on a range of electric vehicles throughout the UK with the additional incentive that our new partners, ScottishPower, will provide a network of recharging points to keep you on the move with confidence.”
ScottishPower is the largest supply so far to link a tariff to electric vehicle charging following a number of smaller competitors who have set out to disrupt the market and take advantage of the rising penetration of EVs.
Anderson added: “The signals couldn’t be clearer – people are telling us they want electric vehicles faster than expected, and that means the decarbonisation of our transport system, and improved air quality, can be delivered faster too.”
