Octopus Energy and Elmtronics expand EV business services

Octopus Energy and Elmtronics have expanded their range of electric vehicle (EV) value-added services for business customers.

Expanding on their existing relationship, customers can now avail of supply, installation, back office software and maintenance of charge points, all of which will be fulfilled by Elmtronics, and the partners will support businesses introducing electric vehicles into their operations. 

In October 2020, the two companies signed a roaming agreement to allow Octopus Energy customers to charge on Hubsta networks using the Electric Juice Network. Elmtronics’ Hubsta network is used by thousands of business customers and the integration with Octopus Energy’s Electric Juice network simplifies charging on the go by taking away the need for using different cards and apps, and rolling charging costs into a single bill.

Octopus Energy’s existing EV solutions portfolio includes EV leasing, smart tariffs for charging overnight, EV roaming through its Electric Juice Network and Electric Dreams - a salary sacrifice scheme for electric cars. 

Dan Martin, Elmtronics CEO, said businesses are increasingly looking to transition to electric vehicles, but the additional complexities of introducing charging can be daunting. “The partnership between Octopus Energy and Elmtronics will make the process of switching to an electric fleet as simple and painless as possible for its customers will make a real difference to businesses across the UK,” he said. “This is just the start of what we hope is our vision to provide a full solution to our business customers, bringing electric vehicle charging and renewable energy together as a full package.”

John Szymik, CEO of Octopus Energy Services, the arm of Octopus Energy Group responsible for charge point installations, said bringing more infrastructure to businesses that want to electrify their fleets and go carbon neutral can only be a positive. “Octopus Energy and Elmtronics will work together to keep making it easier for business customers to go electric, by offering charge point supply, install and aftercare all rolled up into one,” he said.

The first Octopus Energy customer to have charge points supplied and installed by Elmtronics is the Wye Valley Brewery, a family-owned brewery based in Herefordshire, UK. Two dual charge points have been installed in the brewery’s customer car park for visitors’ use, and two in the staff parking area for employees. The company, an existing Octopus Energy for Business customer, is aiming to become carbon neutral and has taken delivery of their first fleet EVs as part of this drive. 

Over the last year, Elmtronics saw growing demand for commercial EV charge points, securing over 300 new commercial contracts with a 50% increase in customers. The company has now installed 2,600 sockets for commercial organisations across the UK, including BMW, Nissan, FedEx and the NHS, and has recently been acquired by European EV charging company, Mer, in a move that will strengthen the position of both companies in the UK.

From this year, The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) will expand the workplace charging scheme grants to provide more support for SME’s, small accommodation businesses and charities. SMEs can claim a grant of up to £850 per parking bay with maximum grants of up to £15,000 available. Click here for more EV charging details.