Public EV charging costs fall following Government support

The cost of using a public EV charger in the UK has fallen thanks to the Government’s energy support scheme for businesses.

Osprey Charging, which made headlines a few weeks ago for implementing a UK-wide price of £1 per kWh, has now cut its price to 79p per kWh. The organisation said the reduction has been enabled by the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

Wholesale electricity prices previously hit unprecedented levels, driving up the cost of electricity supplied to businesses such as Osprey by up to 600 per cent.

The price that electric car drivers pay at public chargepoints comprises a number of factors, such as the cost of electricity, the cost of installing infrastructure, the operation and maintenance of the charging network, as well as VAT at 20 per cent - something motoring organisations have called for cuts to be made on.

Energy suppliers also add on non-commodity costs, their own running costs and margin on top of wholesale electricity, to determine the price businesses pay.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “The team at Osprey has been working diligently throughout October with our energy supplier to get clarity on the Government support to reduce the price burden on EV drivers. We have now achieved this reduction and are fulfilling the promise we made last month and passing on a saving to our customers immediately.

“We would like to thank all of our customers for their patience during these difficult times and understand that if drivers are to make the switch to electric, they need cheap, reliable charging points all over the UK. Our focus continues to be on building an EV charging infrastructure for the future that is accessible and safe for all. Over the next two years we will invest over £50million expanding our nation-wide public charging network, establishing the much-needed national infrastructure that all drivers can trust and rely on.”

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