Octopus Energy and AeroVolt enable electric plane pilots to ‘tap ‘n’ take off’

• Charging an electric plane made as easy as charging an electric car
• Octopus kick-started smart tariffs for electric cars… and now reaches for skies
• Marks the start of an electric revolution to supercharge shift to green transport

London, 27 February 2024 - Pilots of electric planes can charge their aircraft with one tap of a card thanks to a tie-up between Octopus Energy and AeroVolt.

Octopus Electroverse - an award-winning electric vehicle (EV) charging platform - will sync with AeroVolt, the first ever aircraft charging network.

Through this partnership, pilots of electric planes will get access to Electroverse’s easy charging experience at AeroVolt’s airside chargers around the country.

The innovation is the next step in Octopus’ plans to rapidly accelerate the adoption of electric transport.

It comes as studies have shown that electric planes - typically small two-seater planes that do short flights - have a lower climate impact compared to their fossil fuel powered peers.

AeroVolt has charge points installed at seven sites in the UK, including at Bournemouth, Lydd, Dunkeswell, and Shoreham airports, with 12 more to come online soon. The disruptor is already in talks with nearly 70 more airports looking to have chargers installed.

Electroverse – the biggest EV roaming service in the country – has revolutionised on-the-go charging for drivers of electric cars, removing the need for multiple apps to access different charge point brands through its ‘one card, one app’ model.

Pilots who are also Octopus customers enjoy the added benefit of syncing up their public charging costs onto their existing home energy bill, in one simple payment.

This move is the next step in Octopus Energy’s activities to help speed up the transition to green 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.

It manages 1GW of shiftable load through its Intelligent Octopus Go tariff, using the company’s cutting-edge tech platform Kraken to charge EVs when it’s cheapest and greenest. Earlier this month the company launched the UK’s first mass market vehicle-to-grid tariff – Octopus Power Pack – enabling free home charging for drivers.

Zoisa North-Bond, Octopus Energy for Business CEO, said: “Octopus is at the forefront of the transition to green transport. It’s incredible to think our skies are cleaner with each new electric plane, and we’re thrilled to make the journey easier for pilots, extending our seamless charging experience for electric cars to electric aircrafts. With just a tap of their Electroverse card, pilots can plug in and power up. This is the start of an exciting transition as we’re set to supercharge the take-off of e-mobility.”

Guy Haydon, Chief Commercial Officer at AeroVolt, said: “As the world’s first aircraft charging network, AeroVolt is on a mission to transform the future of flight with our simple and easy to use network of rapid chargers across prime airfield locations. This exciting partnership with Octopus will both bring AeroVolt’s car chargers into the Electroverse and deliver a market leading aircraft charging experience to electric pilots. True interoperability, charging both your wheels and your wings.”

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

• Electroverse has features embedded to improve the charging experience, including its interactive global map that shows charge points and their availability, a route-planner, in-car support with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Plug & Charge support, and more.
• Electric plane pilots and electric car drivers who are interested in Electroverse can sign up here. The app can be downloaded here on Apple and Android.

Press Contacts

Octopus Energy Group

press@octoenergy.com

+44 (0)20 4530 8369

About Octopus Electroverse

Launched in summer 2020, 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 nearly 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 Octopus Energy Group

Octopus Energy is a global clean energy tech business, driving the affordable, green energy system of the future. Under its own retail brand, Octopus delivers world-class customer service and cutting edge energy products to 7.7 million households globally.

Its operations span 18 countries and the entire energy value chain. The group invests in, builds and flexibly manages renewable energy, operating a £6 billion portfolio of projects – one of Europe’s largest. Octopus 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 and Origin Energy.

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.