Centrica and WPD set out bold EV plans

Carl Bayliss, vice president of Centrica Innovations, talks to Utility Week about the company’s joint strategy with Lotus to “redefine the customer relationship with cars”. Meanwhile, Western Power Distribution has updated its Electric Vehicle (EV) strategy, including new charging solutions for domestic customers and easier connection processes for charge point operators.

Making the car “an extension of the home”

Energy giant Centrica and car manufacturer Lotus have agreed an electric vehicle strategy, creating a platform which will integrate EVs into home energy services.

The partnership will also see charging infrastructure provided which will serve Lotus’ customers globally, as well as the decarbonisation of the Norfolk-based car manufacturer’s operations, helping it to achieve its net-zero ambition.

Both companies say the aim of the new partnership is to “redefine the customer relationship with cars” to one that is controlled by smart devices.

The deal aims to make the car an “extension of the home”, capable of storing electricity and of generating income for consumers by providing services to the energy market.

Speaking to Utility Week Carl Bayliss, vice president of Centrica Innovations, said while nothing has been set in stone around the scope of what the new product will entail, the companies see it broadly falling in to two categories:

• Seamlessly integrating the home and the car into a single ecosystem – focussing on making life simple for customers by allowing them to control all aspects of the car and home.
• The development of a platform for smart charging – both for smart management of charging in the home and for identifying accessible, compatible public charging spaces in the right places and at the right time for the customer.

Bayliss continued: “Centrica will work with Lotus to deliver a package of home charging installation alongside British Gas’ EV tariff that will allow Lotus customers to benefit from lower energy prices for overnight charging. Centrica will also make its installation service available to Lotus dealerships globally.

“Centrica is working with car manufacturers, fleet owners and public bodies to support them in EV readiness, providing an EV enablement package which includes charger infrastructure, energy management, financing, and optimisation.”

Announcing the deal Centrica chief executive Chris O’Shea, said: “We are committed to helping our customers and communities achieve net-zero and to do so, we must enable the change to electric vehicles. We have the technology, the skills and the scale to do this and our partnership with Lotus is another step in bringing our commitment to life.”

Lotus Cars chief Phil Popham said: “Our journey to net-zero carbon is absolutely lock-in-step with the Vision 80 strategy for Lotus – taking us to eighty years of the business in 2028.  By then we will have transformed Lotus into a truly global player in the high-performance high-technology sector with a new range of cars that remain true to our fundamental promise of always being ‘for the drivers’.

“The difference is the energy and infrastructure that will power and support these products in the future – this new partnership demonstrates the progress being made and the ambition of our vision.”

Bayliss added: “We see a future where the customer, car and home are connected, enabling new services beyond charging the car, and new products and experiences replacing the unremarkable standard relationship with energy and the ownership of a car today.

“Lotus is the perfect partner as we embark on this, given the recognition and appeal of the brand globally and the fact that it is right at the beginning of its electrification journey.”

WPD ‘ready for the future’

Elsewhere in the sector Western Power Distribution (WPD) has updated its EV strategy detailing initiatives to create an easier connection process for charge point operators.

For example, the network operator will offer charge point operators back-to-back leases, where appropriate. WPD says the support given will speed up the installation of charge points across its network.

Furthermore, WPD is teaming up with motorway service operators to develop charging solutions at roadside petrol stations. As part of the second phase of the Department for Transport’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles’ Project Rapid, WPD says it is targeting more roadside EV charger installations.

It is also working with Moto Services on plans for a trial project at one of their motorway service areas. This will deliver rapid charging using new technology that requires significantly less space than current chargers.

WPD has also outlined plans to develop new charging solutions for domestic customers by investing in a series of network improvement projects to meet demands for home charging installations. To accommodate the growth of on-street charging, WPD will change the way it provides electricity supplies to infrastructure such as streetlights. WPD is also working on a solution to ensure that existing mains cables are ready for future charging demands.

Commenting on the release of the updated strategy, WPD’s DSO development manager Paul Jewell said: “Our updated strategy details how we are making EV charger connections on our network easier and quicker. Over the next 12 months, our planned innovation projects will see the roll out of industry-leading charging solutions for both domestic and non-domestic settings.

“Our estimates suggest that, in order to reach the charging capacity required to meet the decarbonisation of transport, the UK needs to install 2,700 charge points a day. Our EV strategy shows we have the solutions to make EV charging quick and effective for customers. We are working hard alongside industry, government and stakeholders to ensure that everyone who wants an EV charger can get one.”