Octopus Electroverse enables faff-free Plug & Charge tech for EV drivers in UK-first

• Drivers simply plug in and walk away… Electroverse enables the car and charge point to sync and begin charging automatically
• Future of charging - removes need for a card, app, or website to start a charge
• Breakthrough comes as Electroverse surpasses 400,000 charge points globally

London, 13th April 2023 - Octopus Energy’s electric vehicle (EV) roaming service Electroverse has opened up Plug & Charge technology to customers with compatible cars, in a bid to make the EV charging experience even easier.

Plug & Charge means drivers plug their car into a public charge point and walk away. The vehicle syncs with the charge point through the customer’s Electroverse account and begins charging automatically. There’s no need for a card, app or website, and the charging process and billing are all handled automatically by Octopus.

While Plug & Charge tech has been the norm for Tesla drivers using Tesla chargers (as the car, charger and app are all created and managed by Tesla), non-Tesla EV drivers previously haven’t had easy access to it.

Electroverse’s tech has enabled Plug & Charge to work for EV drivers with Volkwagen’s iD cars and Cupra Born cars, on IONITY’s ultra-rapid chargers across Europe. Major brands - including BMW, Audi, Skoda, Mercedes and Ford - have announced intentions to support the technology, as well as lots of different charging networks.

Matt Davies, Director of Octopus Electroverse: “This Plug & Charge milestone shows how technology delivers better electric vehicle charging. It provides a roadmap for the future of seamless public charging - and we’ve got big plans to roll it out further. We’re making it easier for car manufacturers and charging networks to support Plug & Charge and create a simpler experience for EV drivers.”

EV driver and Electroverse customer Ryan Howells, added: “This new feature has made charging my car a breeze. It’s definitely the way forward. As soon as I plugged in my car and looked back at the charge point, it already started charging. It’s like a Tesla supercharger. I can’t wait to see it on even more networks now.”

This breakthrough comes as Electroverse surpasses 400,000 charge points globally from over 460 charge point brands.

Other Octopus Electroverse features include an interactive global map showing 750,000+ chargers and their availability, a route-planner to ease ‘range anxiety’, and full in-car support through Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and in-car app stores.

EV drivers wanting to try this out themselves can follow this link to sign up to Electroverse, and the app can be downloaded on Apple and Android.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors:

Press Contacts

Octopus Energy Group

Amy Boekstein

PR Manager

amy.boekstein@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 400,000 different charge points from more than 460 different charging operators. 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 Group is a global energy tech pioneer, launched in 2016 to use technology to unlock a customer focused and affordable green energy revolution. With operations in 14 countries, Octopus Energy Group has a truly global reach.

Octopus’s domestic energy arm already serves 5.3 million customers with cheaper greener power, through Octopus Energy, Bulb, Affect Energy, Ebico, London Power and Co-op Energy. Octopus Electric Vehicles is helping make clean transport cheaper and easier, and Octopus Energy Services is bringing smart products to thousands of homes. Octopus Energy Generation is one of Europe’s largest investors in renewable energy, managing a nearly £6 billion portfolio of renewable energy assets across the globe.

All of these are made possible by Octopus’s tech arm, Kraken Technologies, which offers a proprietary, in-house platform based on advanced data and machine learning capabilities, Kraken automates much of the energy supply chain to allow outstanding service and efficiency as the world transitions to a decentralised, decarbonised energy system. This technology has been licensed to support 30 million customer accounts worldwide, through deals with EDF Energy, Good Energy, E.ON energy and Origin Energy.

In December 2021, Octopus Energy Group was valued at approximately $5 billion following investments from Generation Investment Management and Canada Pensions Plan Investments Board. Both investors back businesses that drive sustainability, promote green energy and tackle climate change. These were the company’s third and fourth major investments since launching to the market. For more information, check out our website.