Smart public charging could save drivers £1.5bn a year

Connected Kerb has launched a nationwide public smart electric vehicle (EV) charging feature which they say could save drivers £1.5 billion a year by 2030.

The rollout allows drivers to schedule charging to cheapest off-peak hours.

It will see smart charging enabled at over 6,000 Connected Kerb charge points, with 4,000 more set to be deployed in 2024.

Connected Kerb’s smart charging allows drivers to schedule charging during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest and greenest, saving money, cutting carbon and reducing pressure on the grid.

This is the first time scheduled charging during off-peak hours has become available on a public charging network.

The rollout will see the majority of Connected Kerb’s charge points activated to be capable of smart charging by 2025, acting as a blueprint for the UK’s rollout of public smart charging.

Until now, 62 per cent of drivers without access to home charging have not been able to benefit from these lower electricity tariffs at off-peak times. Connected Kerb said the smart charging rollout will make these significant cost savings possible across its public charging network for the first time.

Ben Boutcher-West, Chief Digital Officer at Connected Kerb, said: “Public smart charging is the catalyst we need to create a fairer, greener, and cheaper charging network.

“By increasing the speed of charging when energy is cheapest, we can now offer drivers lower-cost tariffs, maximise the use of green energy and take strain off the grid."

He said the rollout brings the public charging network "one stop closer to democratising the gap between those with and without off-street parking.”