Electric car charging breakthrough could see drivers paid to charge - 'Could never be done with petrol'
Octopus claims more than £100million has been saved through its charging schemes
GETTY
An electric car milestone has been unveiled with drivers being able to make major savings when charging their vehicles, with drivers set to benefit further in the future.
The "groundbreaking innovation" has been announced by Octopus Energy with the new Electroverse project allowing drivers to save at public charging stations.
Octopus has announced that it will have "dozens" of "Plunge Pricing" events over the next year where drivers can save between 15 and 45 per cent per kWh.
Drivers using Electroverse get discounts for taking excess energy off the grid at sunny and windy times with green energy being used to power the charging network.
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Octopus Electroverse has helped drivers save on their charging costs
OCTOPUS
Electroverse has trialled five Plunge Pricing events at more than 7,500 charging points across the UK, making use of brands like Ionity, Osprey, Blink, Be.EV, GeniePoint and Raw.
On average, people will save £6.50 on a single charge and drivers could save up to £250 a year by using the new service.
It said that in the future, drivers could get paid to charge up their vehicle when wholesale prices go negative in a major win for EV owners.
Plunge Pricing was first introduced in 2018 with the "Agile Octopus" smart tariff being linked to wholesale electricity prices for people with home EV chargers.
Matt Davies, Director of Octopus Electroverse, said: “This is a massive milestone: for the first time drivers can power up and pay less on the public charging network when green energy’s abundant.
"It isn’t your average discount - it’s revolutionising public charging and something that could never be done with petrol.
"We’re geared up to work with more charge point brands so we can bring this to even more people.”
Octopus has been pushing the boundaries of electric car charging, especially for people with chargers at their homes.
Last year, the brand launched the UK's first mass-market vehicle-to-grid tariff - the Octopus Power Pack - which enables drivers to benefit from free home charging.
It is believed that Octopus Energy customers have saved more than £100million while taking part in "Saving Sessions".
This sees people paid to use less energy at peak times, with this taking place in winter months when there is a greater strain on the national grid.
Octopus Energy also operates its electric vehicle project where people can get a car, smart charger, EV energy tariff and free miles after signing up.
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Octopus customers can benefit from 'Plunge Pricing' when charging
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