Electric vehicle charging firms agree on single subscription model

A number of electric vehicle charging companies have agreed to let drivers access their respective networks in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland charge their cars via a single subscription.

The nine firms – Allego, EVBox, NewMotion, Charge4Europe, Chargemap, ChargePoint, Engenie, Franklin Energy, and Travelcard – will allow drivers to pay for their services via one subscription.

The nine will also share charging station information with one another so users can see which charge points are free and how much it would cost to charge at each one.

The aim of the agreement is to improve public EV charging infrastructure in the UK and the Nordic countries, as both markets are far behind those of continental Europe when it comes to interoperability.

NewMotion, part of Shell Group, said the need for EV drivers to have various memberships, subscriptions and payment cards to access different networks has created an inconsistent experience for customers. NewMotion believes a more joined-up, consumer friendly system could make EVs more desirable.

Sytse Zuidema, chief executive of NewMotion, said: “This agreement is a big victory for current UK and Nordic EV drivers that will help stimulate EV growth in the regions. NewMotion’s wider experience in Europe, where we have a public network of over 118,000 charge points, has shown that making charging more accessible and easy helps encourage EV adoption. As such, we’re excited to be part of a partnership that will no doubt help drive EV adoption in the UK and Nordic countries.”