Centrica, through its retail arm British Gas, will install electric vehicle chargers in the homes of Volkswagen Group customers in the UK as part of three-year partnership agreed between itself and the German carmaker.
The deal will initially cover the Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda brands, with Audi being added later this year.
British Gas will work with Elli – a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group – to assist customers’ transition to an electric vehicle (EV) by installing home chargers, undertaking preparatory electrical upgrades and providing aftersales services as part of a package.
“Getting carbon out of transport by accelerating EV adoption is critical for net zero,” said Centrica Consumer chief executive Sarwjit Sambhi.
“We’re proud to play our part by helping enable the EV transition for Volkswagen, one of the world’s most forward thinking and ambitious automotive companies.”
Alex Smith, managing director for Volkswagen Group UK, said: “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.”
The company has pledged to launch 80 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles models by 2025.
Also this week, Honda announced the launch of a new smart charging service for EV drivers, as part of which customers will be offered: a smart charger provided by Honda; a time-of-use tariff provided by Vattenfall; and a smart control system provided by Moixa through its GridShare platform.
Customers will be able to specify their charging requirements through a smartphone app and the control system will then seek to fulfil them in the cleanest and cheapest way possible. It will also allow vehicle-to-grid charging during periods when electricity is dirtiest and most expensive.
Jorgen Pluym, energy management project leader for Honda Motor Europe, said: “The introduction of e:PROGRESS marks a key milestone for Honda in the development of our energy management business here in Europe, bringing together all of our work to date to offer real value to EV owners.
“This is our first move into a service business model in the energy space, and we are committed to continuing to invest and develop in this area as part of the move towards electrification and widespread adoption of electric vehicles.”
The service is expected to go-live later this year.
Honda and Moixa are also working together to help electrify the fleet of Islington Council, recently installing five bi-directional smart chargers at its town hall.