Centrica launches new tariff for business customers to charge their electric cars
British Gas owner Centrica has launched a new power tariff for business customers looking to charge their electric vehicles as the UK prepares for the switch to plug-in cars.
More than three quarters of businesses plan to start shifting towards electric vehicles (EVs), Centrica said today as it launched an EV product aimed specifically at companies.
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Its business unit has already installed more than 17,000 charging points across the UK since 2012, but it is now working with sister company British Gas to offer a business EV tariff powered by renewable energy.
It has also begun work to electrify its own 14,000 vehicles which make up the third-largest commercial fleet in the UK.
Centrica is responding to demand, with the number of new electric vehicles in the UK jumping 55 per cent year-on-year so far in 2019, according to data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.
The government has committed to end the sale of petrol and diesel cars by 2040, but is now being urged by the Committee on Climate Change to bring the date forward five years in a bid to drive emissions to net zero by 2050.
Jorge Pikunic, who leads Centrica Business Solutions said: “The adoption of electric vehicles is no longer a question for tomorrow. For businesses, the transition to EV is a big opportunity to become cleaner, more sustainable and more efficient.
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“We believe distributed energy technologies will be key to supporting the cost-effective roll out of EVs, reducing the need for costly grid upgrades and new centralised generation capacity.
“Our offer has been designed to be fully flexible so that, whatever stage businesses are at on the EV journey, we can help make the transition simpler, faster and more affordable.”