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Electric car drivers will now be able to take advantage of cheaper off-peak electricity rates thanks to new public smart chargers.
Connected Kerb says it is installing the UK's first chargers that can be scheduled to charge a car when electricity is at its cheapest. Overnight tariffs will be 45p per kWh, saving drivers up to £222 per year, and the rate is over 22% lower than the average 7-22kW charger in the UK, says the firm.
When drivers connect to a Connected Kerb charger, they can schedule a charge from 7pm onwards on any day of the week through the company's app. Once plugged in and scheduled, charging will begin at midnight and carry on until 7am or until the EV battery is fully charged.
The first areas to receive Connected Kerb smart charging capability chargers will be West Sussex, Lincoln, Scarborough, Rydeale and Sunderland.
The rollout begins this month and will see the majority of the firm's charge points activated to be smart charging capable by 2025. The firm already has 6,000 units across the country, and intends to install another 4,000 this year.
Ben Boutcher-West, Chief Digital Officer at Connected Kerb, said: “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.”
Anthony Browne, Minister for Technology and Decarbonisation, said: “We want people to be able to charge their EV in a way that works for them, so it’s great to see public smart charging providing opportunities for drivers to save money."
