Octopus deal sees Shell Recharge join EV network

Octopus Energy has signed a deal with Shell- backed electric vehicle (EV) solutions company NewMotion which will see the latter’s chargepoints join its Electric Juice network (EJN).

NewMotion has access to more than 3,200 chargepoints over 17 different networks across the UK. In total, it allows access to more than 200,000 chargepoints across Europe.

The deal struck with Octopus means EJN customers can access more than 100 rapid EV chargers from Shell Recharge.

Octopus Energy customers who drive EVs will be able to pay with their account, with all costs appearing on their monthly bills. The company says this solves a “long-standing problem” for EV drivers, who have criticised the lack of a standardised way of paying as each network requires a different card or app.

NewMotion joins Ionity, Char.gy, Hubsta, Alfa Power, Franklin Energy LiFe, Plug-N-Go and Osprey, all of which are already on the EJN.

Alan McCleave, regional manager UK and Nordics at NewMotion, said: “E-mobility partnerships are a key aspect in the enablement of mass EV adoption, that’s why we partner with many different parties in our European roaming charging network.

“We’re part of the Shell group, which recently announced that by 2025 there will be over 30,000 Shell Recharge charge points.”

Zoisa North-Bond, chief executive of Electric Juice, said: “By offering access to Shell Recharge and NewMotion public chargepoints via the Electric Juice Network, our plans for mainland Europe are becoming even more tangible. Europe’s transport sector needs to decarbonise quickly.

“Collaborating with more partners helps create better access to charging infrastructure, which makes it easier for petrol car drivers to consider electric vehicles and simplifies the whole process for current EV drivers.

“NewMotion provides the EJN customers with rapid charging at Shell Recharge on the motorway and the inner-city coverage of the network means EV drivers have more flexibility than they’ve enjoyed before.”

Good Energy

Fellow disruptor brand Good Energy has announced a commercial partnership with Fleetcor UK which provides fuel cards and payment services to businesses.

The agreement will see Good Energy’s app-based payment system Zap-Pay integrated with Fleetcor’s Allstar platform. This will cover commercial fleets of vehicles, aimed at delivering a solution to remove the payment complexities for businesses and commercial fleets.

The Allstar One Electric fuel card enables fleet operators to manage all fuel types, whether traditional (petrol or diesel) or alternative, such as electric, hydrogen or hybrid, on one payment card.

It now provides fleet operators and drivers with access to more than 4,200 charging points across 1,700 locations throughout the UK.

Additionally, Good Energy says it is investing a further £1 million into Zap Map.

Juliet Davenport, co-founder and outgoing chief executive of Good Energy, said: “This new partnership with Fleetcor is a great example of two leaders in their fields collaborating to solving and simplifying a complex problem for businesses as they transition to electric motoring.

“The solution will help to make charging simple for business EV drivers at scale, increase adoption and help drive the UK towards zero emission motoring.”