The Volkswagen Group has agreed a deal with British Gas’ parent company Centrica to offer customers a one-stop shop for EV charging. The three-year deal will see British Gas engineers fit fast home charge points to at customer’s properties, and switch to an EV-focused energy tariff.
With the VE Group ramping up its electric vehicle efforts, the move looks to support the manufacturer’s plans in rolling-out 80 plug-in models and sales of up to three million units by 2025.
Models recently launched for VW include the upgraded Passat GTE and e-up!, plus two PHEV versions of the new Golf and the soon-to-arrive ID. 3., while there are similar new arrivals coming from Seat and Skoda. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is included in the deal, and there are plans for Audi to join later this year.
British Gas will be the exclusive supplier and installer for the charge points for VW, and the deal aims to make shifting to electric vehicles easier. Cheaper off-peak tariffs will help drivers reduce their load on the grid and keep costs down, with charging times able to be controlled either through the car’s controls or via an app.
Centric has already agreed a similar deal with Ford, and tie-ins between manufacturers and energy companies are set to become increasingly common in the near future. The energy firm will work with Elli – the VW Group’s supplier of charging hardware – to deliver a package of home charing installations and aftersales service.
Alex Smith, Managing Director at Volkswagen Group UK Ltd, said: “2020 is a landmark year for the Volkswagen Group as we launch the ID.3, the first car on the ground-breaking MEB platform.
“The Volkswagen Group is committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change and we have set our goals on zero carbon emissions by 2050. Here in the UK we will do our part, and I am delighted that Elli have teamed up with Centrica to deliver home charging solutions. This will give customers even more confidence as they make the switch to emission free driving.”
