JustPark, the fast-growing parking platform, and energy tech pioneer Octopus Energy Group today launch the UK’s first fleet-focused community charging solution – FleetCharge. The new charging solution will help businesses overcome charging inequality, enabling them to accelerate their transition to electric vehicles (EV).
Working with fleet operators, JustPark will find conventient off-street charging locations for their drivers unable to have an electric vehicle charger installed at home. Chargers will be located at one of JustPark’s 50,000 parking locations or at a new site within a five minute walk of a given driver’s home.
FleetCharge gives drivers guaranteed access to their dedicated chargers, effectively creating private chargers and a private network for each fleet operating customer. Chargers will be located at a mix of domestic, business and parking facilities, and always available for the designated user.
Octopus Energy Services, the engineering arm of Octopus Energy Group, will install and manage FleetCharge’s charging units – allowing the fleet to access their company’s entire private charging network through the JustPark app.
Drivers will have access to 100 percent renewable electricity from Octopus Energy and Octopus Energy’s EV roaming service the Electric Juice Network, creating a truly sustainable fleet proposition for businesses which want to minimise their carbon footprint.
Mike Strahlman, Director of EV at JustPark, said, “Our discussions with fleet customers tell us that there is a real appetite to electrify in the sector, but charging accessibility at home is preventing many operators from scaling up at speed. FleetCharge is a simple and effective way to bring convenient, local charging to fleet drivers, putting an end to the charging inequality that is holding the industry back”.
John Szymik, CEO of Octopus Energy Services, said: “Transport is responsible for a third of all UK carbon emissions, and electrifying fleets will play a key role in the race to net zero. Many fleets are struggling to electrify because of charging infrastructure and lots of drivers take vehicles home after work and those who live in a flat, terraced house or rented accommodation require access to a charge point. By giving fleet drivers reliable access to EV chargers close to their homes, we help businesses drive their decarbonisation efforts at scale."
By enabling drivers to charge overnight in the same way that home charger owners can, FleetCharge ensures that no time is wasted during the working day while drivers search for, and charge at, a vacant public charge point.
Designed to be as cost-effective and hassle-free as possible, FleetCharge consolidates the total cost of charging, parking and hardware into a single price per driver. The scalable solution also allows customers to add more charging spaces at any time, enabling them to electrify faster than they thought possible.
FleetCharge is also available to Octopus Energy’s existing fleet customers.