This feature originally appeared in the May 2022 edition of Fleet News. Click here to read the article in the digital issue of the magazine.

 

Using the public charging infrastructure has never been easier: drivers can now generally just turn up at a charger, pay with a contactless bank card and then be on their way.

It is a long way from just a few years ago when multiple apps and radio frequency identification (RFID) cards were needed to operate networks.

Back in 2019, Simon King, then procurement director at Mitie, said: “I’ve got between 10 and 15 apps for different charge providers on my phone; a driver in a diesel van will have an Allstar card they can use at pretty much any filling station. That’s our biggest issue.”

The situation has eased significantly since, primarily following the Government’s announcement in 2019 that it wanted all new electric vehicle (EV) rapid charge points to allow contactless debit or credit card payments by spring 2020.

So, there is no need to register with the relevant networks or download additional apps.

However, while this has made it much more convenient, there are still some issues remaining for fleets and business drivers using the rapid charging network.

The charge points do not have the capability to print out paper receipts, so drivers and fleet decision-makers need to be aware of the processes in obtaining these, as well as the networks’ different costs and membership schemes.

Some offer subscriptions which unlock lower charging fees, while many offer specific programmes aimed at helping fleet operators simplify their transition to EVs, as well as their processes when running them.

There are some companies offering an experience similar to that of the fuel cards traditionally available for petrol and diesel vehicles.

Allstar, a titan of the traditional fuel card market, offers Allstar One Electric, which gives access to a multi-brand network of more than 5,700 charge points, including those operated by GeniePoint and Osprey, while a new entry to the sector is Paua.

Founded in 2020, this now has contracts that enable 10,000 charge points to be accessible through a single app and EV charge card, with brands on its networking including Osprey, Fastned, Connected Kerb and Ionity.

Other networks include Electric Juice, BP Fuel & Charge, and Shell Recharge Solutions.

In this feature we look at the major rapid charging networks, focusing on – among other topics – how many chargers they have, their growth plans, cost to use and what fleet-specific initiatives they offer

 

BP Pulse

Number of charge points: More than 8,000, with speeds of 7kW, 50kW or 150kW. Around 30% of its UK network is rapid or ultra-fast charging.

How much are they to use? Through the BP Pulse app, pay-as-you-go users pay 38p/kWh for 7kW charge points, 48p/kWh for 50kW units and 50p/kWh for 150kW.

Drivers using contactless payment pay 40p/kWh, 50p/kWh and 55p/kWh respectively. BP Pulse also offers a subscription service at £6.54 (exc VAT) per driver per month and this gives access to lower rates: these drop to 30p/kWh, 38p/kWh and 40p/kWh respectively.

What is the process for getting a receipt? After paying by contactless, users email heretohelp@bp.com after 48 hours and within eight weeks of charging, stating the date and time of charge, the location and charging point reference number, the sum paid and the last four digits of the card used.

Registering for a BP Pulse account allows users to check charging history online.

What fleet-specific products does BP Pulse offer? It has bundled energy and BP Pulse home offers for business, as well as workplace charging services. BP’s Fuel & Charge card is aimed at mixed fleets, with tailored charging on-the-go alongside conventional fuels.

What are BP Pulse’s growth ambitions? BP has announced plans to invest £1 billion over 10 years to approximately triple the number of charge points on its UK network.

 

Geniepoint

Number of charge points: 544 rapid and 39 fast chargers on the public GeniePoint network.

How much are they to use? 48p/kWh for a registered GeniePoint driver and 50p/kWh for guest and contactless charging. Pricing is reviewed regularly, in line with the energy market.

What is the process for getting a receipt? Registered GeniePoint drivers will have receipts emailed to them following a charging session. If a driver uses contactless payment, they can visit geniepoint.co.uk/ds/cs, provide information about their charge and their email address, and the receipt will be emailed to them.

What fleet-specific products does GeniePoint offer? GeniePoint’s bespoke fleet offering provides monthly invoicing and access to fleet driver charging data. GeniePoint’s partnership with Mina offers home charging for fleet drivers – charging costs are invoiced directly to the employer and not added to the home energy bill.

The GeniePoint network is also available through AllStar fleet fuel cards and New Motion and Zap Pay.

GeniePoint also offers a workplace charging solution, including programme design, charge point supply, installation, usage data and reports, supported by 24/7 customer service.

What are GeniePoint’s growth ambitions? It is installing more chargers within its key partners, such as Premier Inn. GeniePoint says the commercial vehicle sector is equally as important to it and, through its consultative approach, it offers a turn-key solution to support organisations in transitioning their fleets to EVs.

 

Gridserve

Number of charge points: Gridserve has completed its upgrade of the legacy Electric Highway EV charging network, replacing more than 300 existing chargers at more than 130 motorway service areas with new high-power chargers.

It has also opened High Power Electric Hubs featuring six-to-12 350kW chargers at Swansea, Exeter and Burton-in-Kendal with nine more under construction.

Last month, in Norwich, it opened its second Electric Forecourt with 36 chargers, including 22 with up to 350kW of power, following its first similar facility in Braintree.

How much are they to use? 39p/kWh on the Gridserve Electric Highway and 45p/kWh at High Power Electric Hub locations.

What is the process for getting a receipt? Drivers using contactless can get a VAT receipt through a tool on the Gridserve website.

What fleet-specific products does Gridserve offer? It offers a suite of solutions, from charging infrastructure through to vehicle leasing and finance.

What are Gridserve’s growth ambitions? Gridserve has a £1bn programme to deliver a UK network of more than 100 Electric Forecourts, as well as more than 50 high-powered Electric Hubs featuring six-to-12 350kW chargers at motorway sites nationwide.

 

Instavolt

Number of charge points: More than 750 live chargers and another 200 in construction, with charge speeds of between 50kW and 150kW.

How much are they to use? All Instavolt chargers cost 50p/kWh, with no sign-up fee or monthly subscription.

What is the process for getting a receipt? Drivers using the contactless payment option can access a VAT receipt generator on the InstaVolt website.

Drivers who use the optional InstaVolt app can view and track all charging sessions, and download VAT receipts from there. They can also earn loyalty points which turn into free charging credit.

What fleet-specific products does Instavolt offer? InstaVolt offers a fleet solution which, as well as offering drivers access to rapid charging across the UK, features “all the reporting tools needed to effectively manage a fleet of business vehicles”, it says.

What are InstaVolt’s growth ambitions? In the 12 months to March, InstaVolt has expanded its network by 45%. It plans to install 10,000 chargers by 2032.InstaVolt will be expanding into Ireland this year, while the company said European expansion is “very much on the horizon”.

 

Pod Point

Number of charge points: Pod Point has a network of more than 6,200 public charging bays, including 250 rapid/DC charge points.

How much are they to use? There is no set price across the whole Pod Point network as pricing is decided by the charge point “host”. Half of the network offers free charging, with pricing information for all available in the Pod Point app. “For one useful comparison, 50kW DC pricing currently ranges from 26p/kWh to 28p/kWh,” says Pod Point.

What is the process for getting a receipt? VAT receipts can be emailed manually upon request.

Having an app-based system allows the driver to track home/workplace/public charging and download data for reporting purposes.

What fleet-specific products does Pod Point offer? Pod Point says its smart reporting system allows businesses to record charging for accounting and/or billing purposes, allowing them to levy whichever fee they so wish and record data for tax purposes.

“Alternatively, many employers currently offer free charging as a perk to their employees – the costs are not astronomic, but organisations may not wish to sustain this at scale, in which case they can simply set a fee for usage,” adds Pod Point.

“The smart reporting system makes it easy to record the usage and adjust the pricing, with employees typically confirming their charge cycles via an app.”

What are Pod Point’s growth ambitions? Pod Point aims to further accelerate its growth but says “because of how we operate throughout the charging ecosystem, employing a flexible business model to meet the needs of our customers, we do not have predetermined network size targets”.

 

Osprey

Number of charge points: More than 300 across Great Britain. All are at least 50kW, with all recently installed and future units at least 75kW.

As standard at its charging hubs (four live, 10 in construction), it is installing six or more 100kW+ chargers.

How much are they to use? Osprey charges a flat rate of 49p/kWh, with no other fees or membership required. This is reviewed when there is a significant change in the elements that make up the cost of installing and running the network: hardware, infrastructure installation, electricity and operating costs.

What is the process for getting a receipt? For regular customers, receipts are available as standard through the Osprey Charging app.

They are automatically generated at the end of each charging session as well as the end of the billing month. For ad hoc receipts – if a contactless card payment was made – customers can email Osprey’s support line or fill in an online form with their details to get one.

QR codes are being applied to chargers to a provide a direct link to the form.

What fleet-specific products does Osprey offer? Osprey was the rapid charging launch partner of the Allstar One Electric Card and has partnerships with fleet services providers Paua and Mina.

What are Osprey’s growth ambitions? In 2021, Osprey announced the start of a roll-out of 150 highpower hubs, of which three are now live and two more expected in May. Over 2022, it expects to have doubled the number of chargers on its network.

 

Shell Recharge

Number of charge points: Shell has 140 Shell Recharge points on service station forecourts and nearly 5,000 EV charge points through Shell-owned Ubitricity.

Through Shell Recharge Solutions, it offers access to a network of more than 13,000 charge points, of which more than 380 are rapid or ultra-rapid including those on the Ionity, Osprey, GeniePoint and Fastned networks.

How much are they to use? Shell charges 45p/kWh for 50kW rapid chargers and 49p/kWh for 150kW ultra-rapid chargers at its service stations. Ubitricity chargers cost 32p/kWh. On the roaming network, fast chargers (AC) are 45p/kWh and rapid chargers (DC) are 55p/kWh. Ionity chargers are 72p/kWh. For roaming sessions and Ubitricity, a transaction fee of 35p is charged, with a maximum of £7 a month.

What is the process for getting a receipt? When paying with contactless card or using the QR code at a Shell Recharge-branded charge point, a driver needs to check whether the operator of the charge point is Allego or Shell Recharge.

This information can be found on the charge points as well as on the user’s bank statement.

For charge points operated by Allego, a receipt can be obtained via its website which will ask the driver to enter the transaction reference found on their bank statement.

For charge points operated by Shell Recharge, drivers should email dcoperations@shellrecharge.com with the point location name, date and time of the charge session, and how much it cost, then Shell Recharge will provide the receipt.

When paying with the Shell Recharge app or charge card for charging sessions at Shell or other network charge point operators, the user will receive a monthly invoice via email.

What fleet-specific products does Shell Recharge offer? Shell Recharge Solutions offers a modular ecosystem of charging and management solutions for fleet customers.

These include the Business Hub Platform which allows fleet managers to monitor, analyse and control the use and costs of the charging infrastructure

What are Shell Recharge’s growth ambitions? Shell operates around 80,000 EV charge points in Europe, installed at homes, businesses, Shell retail sites and third-party destinations.

It also offers access to more than 350,000 charge points globally through its partner roaming networks.

As a business, Shell has set a goal to operate more than 500,000 charge points by 2025 and 2.5 million in 2030.

> Interested in comparing electric vehicle data? Check out our EV tool.

> Interested in ensuring the efficient use of EVs. Check out our dedicated editorial sections: Insight & policy | EV news | Charging & infrastructure | Costs & incentives | Benefit-in-kind | EV case studies | EV road tests

> EVs by range

> EVs by their efficiency

> Rapid charging EVs

> EVs by price: lowest to highest