The Electric Vehicle disruptor - part of the Octopus Energy Group - has opened up its electric car offering to millions of new drivers in the UK and the States, where it is setting up a second country base. The new personal electric vehicle (EV) package follows the success of Octopus Electric Vehicles’ salary sacrifice scheme, to which 1,500 businesses have signed up in the last 15 months.
It will guide customers through the whole experience, drawing on the service that has seen Octopus Electric Vehicles receive a five-star Trustpilot rating - the best in the industry.
EV experts will help drivers pick the right car, answer any questions and guide them through the entire process. The Octopus team has also pre-ordered popular EVs to help drivers beat long lead times.
In the UK, customers’ monthly bills cover the car, tyres, servicing, repair and breakdown assistance from The AA - everything they need to take to the road. The offer also includes the smartest, greenest and cheapest home charging solution, combining Octopus’s innovative Intelligent Octopus tariff and a free Ohme Home Pro charger.
Intelligent Octopus is a 100 percent flexible charging tariff that uses the company’s flexibility platform - KrakenFlex - to charge when it is best for the country’s energy system. The green energy tariff has a low-cost window of 6 hours, during which the green electrons cost 7.5 pence per kilowatt hour between 23:30-05:30.
The package is available for all EVs with the Ohme Home Pro smart charger, which works with KrakenFlex to optimise the charging in order to keep costs low and help balance the grid at the same time.
Octopus Electric Vehicles is also offering 5,000 free miles on the tariff if drivers don’t have access to home charging. These customers will instead receive 5,000 free miles on Octopus’s public charging network, Electric Juice Network, with access to 250,000 chargers across Europe.
The company claims that over the course of a three-year lease period, an average UK driver on Intelligent Octopus with 5,000 free miles can save up to £3,775 on fuel costs compared to an equivalent petrol car.
The smart charging solution also brings the UK a step closer to our future energy system that matches usage to when renewable, clean energy is generated. Analysis by the Carbon Trust and Imperial College found that a fully flexible energy system could reduce costs for the UK by up to £16.7 billion a year in 2050, while ensuring energy security.
The launch of Octopus Electric Vehicles US comes one year after Octopus Energy US landed in Houston to provide affordable, renewable energy to Texan homes. Since then, its customer base has grown tenfold while the team has launched programmes to reward customers who conserve energy and balance the grid when demand is high.
Octopus Electric Vehicles has launched a personal leasing product, EV Concierge, to help accelerate EV adoption in Texas and the US
“Demand for electric cars is soaring - driven by over 65 amazing cars from 28 manufacturers, low running costs and convenient charging at home and work” said Fiona Howarth, CEO of Octopus Electric Vehicles. “We’ve seen that drivers are looking for experts that can offer the full EV package to guide them through their journey. Our roads are transforming and we plan to lead from the front, making it easy for drivers to switch to clean, electric cars.”
David Watson, CEO of Ohme, added that the new package makes it easy for motorists to make the switch to electric in a way that’s simple and hassle-free.
Octopus Electric Vehicles was launched in 2018 with a simple mission; to make it easy for drivers to switch to clean, electric transport. The business sits within the wider Octopus Energy Group, which is expanding rapidly having received $900 million in funding over the last year, giving it a valuation of $5 billion.
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