Chargepoint firm Be.EV has dramatically reduced the price it charges for electricity, halving its kiloWatt hour rate from 79 pence to 39p in a bid to make “public ultra-rapid charging cheaper than petrol or diesel”.
The firm currently has over 850 public bays with a further 1,000 in development, and the price cut applies to all charging sessions for customers paying £9.99 for Be.EV’s ‘Mega Plan’, while ‘Mini Plan’ members who pay £4.99 a month get a 49p per kWh rate.
Non-members using the firm’s smartphone app to activate a Be.EV chargepoint during off-peak hours of 7pm to 7am can also take advantage of the reduction, while the standard 79p rate applies for ultra-rapid chargers used outside these conditions.
The price cut will put pressure on other operators to follow suit, and means the cost of recharging an average EV with a 60kWh battery from full to empty stands at just £23.40.
Be.EV estimates the 39p rate brings the cost of driving an EV down to around 12 pence per mile, less than the cost of running petrol car returning an average of 35mpg, which comes in at roughly 18p for fuel alone.
The firm’s reduced rate isn’t too far removed from domestic electricity costs, either, with the current price cap standing at 26.35p per kWh – though public ultra-rapid 150kW+ points like those offered by Be.EV are significantly faster than the 7kW rates home EV chargers typically top out at.
Be.EV’s chief executive, Asif Ghafoor, said the new pricing model ”tears down one of the last excuses not to go electric”, adding: “For too long, EV charging in the UK has been built for the privileged few with a driveway. Those who rely on public charging – often people in flats, terraced housing, or busy urban centres – are forced to pay much more than those who can plug-in at home. That’s not just unfair, it’s a barrier to mass adoption.”
