Octopus Energy and Addison Lee join forces to offer cheaper EV charging to drivers

• EV charging platform brings simple charging to over 2,000 private hire vehicles in London
• The deal will unlock access to multiple charge point brands at just one tap
• Addison Lee drivers will receive discounts at thousands of EV charge points

London, 18th March 2024 - Addison Lee drivers will get easier and cheaper electric vehicle (EV) charging on the public network through a new partnership with Octopus Energy.

From today, drivers at Addison Lee – London’s largest premium private hire, courier and black taxi provider – will get access to Octopus Energy’s EV roaming service, Octopus Electroverse.

Electroverse’s revolutionary ‘one card, one app’ model means Addison Lee drivers no longer need to download multiple apps and subscriptions. This deal enables them to power up with just one simple tap at most charge point brands in the capital.

This partnership also means Addison Lee drivers will get up to 24% off their charging costs at thousands of Source London and MFG EV Power charge points across London*.

Now operating the largest sustainable fleet in London, over the last three years, the firm has spent over £80 million to upgrade its vehicles and ensure it meets growing demand from customers who value quality and sustainable service.

The firm offers fully electric and zero emissions capable vehicles from executive, premium cars, to black taxis. This includes 600 PHEV VW multivans, Audi A6s, and A8s, in addition to the 1,000 fully electric VW ID.4s.

This comes as Octopus’ public charging disruptor has nearly tripled customer numbers over the past year - now the UK’s biggest EV roaming service.

Liam Griffin, CEO at Addison Lee commented: “As the first private hire operator in London to introduce EVs at scale, we have been a pioneer of electrification. This also means that we have seen first-hand the difficulties that private hire drivers face when it comes to finding reliable and available charging infrastructure. Over the last three years, we have committed to supporting our drivers with this ongoing challenge, and we are pleased to add Octopus Energy to our range of strategic charging partnerships.”

Matt Davies, Director of Octopus Electroverse, said: “Addison Lee has taken brilliant steps towards electrifying its fleet. We’re excited to now give their thousands of electric cab drivers access to our super-simple EV charging experience, as well as discounts on key charging networks.”

This is the latest milestone in Octopus Energy’s plans to speed up the transition to clean electric transport. Its Octopus Electric Vehicles division is now the UK’s largest EV-only leasing business and the company is a pioneer in smart tariffs for EVs.

Its Intelligent Octopus Go tariff uses the company’s tech platform Kraken to charge electric cars when the grid is greenest and cheapest. Last month, Octopus launched the UK’s first mass market vehicle-to-grid tariff, Octopus Power Pack, enabling free home charging.

Eligible taxi drivers will be contacted directly by Addison Lee to access this Electroverse deal. Electric car drivers more broadly who are interested in signing up to Electroverse can do so via the Electroverse website, or the Electroverse app (Apple and Android).

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

*Addison Lee EV drivers can get MFG EV Power: 10% off MFG EV Power, London's largest ultra-rapid network (£0.71/kWh), Source London: 24% discount to over 1000 London 22kw chargers, with a monthly subscription of £4/month (£0.46/kWh).

Press Contacts

Octopus Energy Group

press@octoenergy.com

+44 (0)20 4530 8369

Addison Lee

Josie.workman@firstlightgroup.io

+44 7460 325 392

About Octopus Electroverse

Launched in early 2021, Octopus Electroverse is Octopus’ answer to the frequent complaint that Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers need many different apps and cards to use the many different brands of EV charging stations. Electroverse is making public charging simple by having just one card and one app, with zero added costs or ongoing fees, and support for the latest in-car technology.

EV drivers across the globe can now access over 650,000 different charge points from over 600 different charging operator brands in over 40 countries. Electroverse is open to anyone, and Octopus Energy customers have the option of linking their public EV charging with their home energy bill for the ultimate simplicity.

Electroverse (previously Electric Juice) won ‘Best EV Innovation’ at Driving Electric Awards 2021 and ‘Best Use of Technology’ at UK Business & Innovations Awards 2022. For more information on Electroverse, head to our website.

About Addison Lee

Addison Lee is London’s leading sustainable, quality ground transport, taxi, and courier provider. The number one choice for 80% of FTSE 250 businesses, Addison Lee is moving to an electric standard

passenger fleet with the rollout of Volkswagen ID.4s and zero-emission capable VW multivans.

In 2021, Addison Lee acquired ComCab, adding the iconic black taxi service to its range of transport

services, alongside passenger cars, and London’s largest same-day courier business. In 2023,

Addison Lee also acquired Green Tomato Cars, a London-based car service that has led the industry

in sustainability over the last 10 years. This additional supply of vehicles takes the Addison Lee fleet

to over 7,500, ensuring the firm is ready to meet growing demand for reliable and professional

transport across the city.

The business was taken over by a consortium led by CEO Liam Griffin and Cheyne Capital’s Strategic

Value Credit business in 2020, and its services are available 24/7, 365 days a year via app, web, and

phone.

About Octopus Energy Group

Octopus Energy is a global energy and technology group, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Its operations span 18 countries and the entire energy value chain. The group invests in, builds and flexibly manages renewable energy, operating a £7 billion portfolio of projects – one of Europe’s largest.

Octopus serves 7.7 million customers globally through its retail arm, and has licensed its advanced data and machine learning platform, Kraken, to support over 54 million customer accounts worldwide through licensing deals with companies such as EDF, E.ON, Origin Energy and Tokyo Gas. Kraken enables Octopus to drive the electrification of heat and transport through smart tariffs and innovative cleantech. Backed by pension funds, investors and energy giants, Octopus Energy Group businesses deliver cheaper, greener energy and cutting-edge tech to countries and customers worldwide. For more information, check out our website.