05 June 2024

Time for a price drop – a note from the CEO

It’s time we talk about the electric elephant in the room. 

Price.  

It’s no secret our prices have been on the high side for the last year or so, and as EV drivers, we all naturally compare the cost of cheap off-peak home charging to what we pay at ultra-rapid public chargers. This price gap is down to a number of market factors, including VAT, global energy prices and the cost of building and running a network of over 600 charging bays.

But, as energy prices are coming down, we want to pass on that saving, and more, to create a new pricing structure that works for everyone.

Say hello to your new pricing ⚡️

Every charger across every payment method is now cheaper than before on the Be.EV network, plus with the Be.EV app, you’ve got the power to unlock even cheaper charging wherever you go, opening up the world of EV to more people with more accessible pricing across the board.

Let’s jump in to how we got here.

No driveway? No problem 🔌

Starting with our fast chargers (up to 22kW AC), we see them as our chance to open up electric travel to those without access home charging.

Public EV charging is never going to be able to offer energy at some of the super-low unit rates you see at home, but to support the transition to electric transport, we’ve put a lot of work into dropping this price lower than that of petrol and diesel, so we can honestly say everyone has an option to charge on our network for less than fuelling your old fossil fuel car.

So, when charging with your Be.EV app or RFID card, you can now charge up during the day for just 50p/kWh on any AC fast charger – this is over 25% cheaper than before.

Take as an example a VW e-Up! and a petrol VW Up! – at this new rate, you’ll be able to run as low as 11.4p per mile when charging with Be.EV fast chargers vs 14.0p with petrol, saving you as much as £255 a year. Plus, if you do have access to cheaper home charging, this charging mix will take your savings even higher.

Even without a driveway, choosing to drive electric is now the cheaper and cleaner choice when fast charging with Be.EV.

Cheaper for everyone 🔋 

Next, we’ve pulled down the price of rapid chargers (50kW) and separated them from the price of ultra-rapid chargers, so you only pay for the level of charger power you’re using. This means during the day, when charging with your Be.EV app or RFID card, you can rapid charge for just 60p/kWh.

Finally, we’ve also been able to drop the price of ultra-rapid (150kW+) chargers for every payment method too. This means through your Be.EV app or RFID card, you can charge up at 150kW+ for 70p/kWh.

So, no matter where you charge or how you pay, everyone will benefit from a cheaper charge – but you’ve also got the chance to make some extra savings…

Switch on to Off-Peak 🌙

We’ve been working hard to develop more features that give you the power to charge cheaper. So, for every charger where it’s technically possible for us to do so, we’re introducing 10-hours every day of Off-Peak pricing through your Be.EV app or RFID card. On eligible chargers, you can get an even cheaper rate when charging between 9pm and 7am (when the grid is quieter and charging is greener).

These locations will show an off-peak tariff in the app, be visible when filtering the map on our website, and have a nice little message on the charger letting you know they’re cheaper in quiet hours. Plus, we’re working to roll this out to even more chargers where we can.

So, at enrolled locations from 9pm–7am, you can fast charge for 45p/kWh, rapid charge for 55p/kWh and ultra-rapid charge for 65p/kWh.

With the same example as above, fast charging at this new 45p/kWh rate brings down that pence-per-mile to just 10.2p, saving as much as £370 per year versus petrol.👇

 

Time for e-Taxis 🚕

We’ve been working in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to roll out a network of over 100 designated e-Taxi charging bays across Greater Manchester over the past couple of years to support taxi drivers and cleaner air.

We’re thrilled to announce that starting now, we’re pulling down the charging price for e-Taxis at these locations to just 50p/kWh for fast and rapid charging across the region – this is over 30% cheaper than before.

This gives Taxi drivers the power to drive cheaper and cleaner than petrol or diesel, with access to a protected, reliable network whenever they need it. If you or someone you know could benefit from the Be.EV e-Taxi network, read a little more here to join.

 

Powering forwards 💚

As ever, we are (and will continue to be) tied to the peaks and troughs of the energy market, so our prices may rise and fall in the future, but we will continue to pass on savings wherever we can, and always give you a fair rate. 

With that in mind, we’re still working hard alongside groups like the EV charging industry body, ChargeUK, to get EV drivers the best deal and the best experience wherever they charge. We’re also trialling new ways to lower our power costs to once again pass savings on to our EV drivers, whilst investing record amounts into more ultra-rapid, ultra-convenient charging locations near you.

 

Happy charging,

 

Asif.

Be.EV Co-Founder & CEO