Centrica and Volkswagen announce EV partnership

UK energy major Centrica and leading auto manufacturer Volkswagen Group are set to accelerate EV adoption across the UK, after agreeing a three-year partnership to provide home charging hardware solutions for new EV owners, Centrica said on 4 March.
According the UK energy company, the deal will see Elli, the central provider of charging hardware and related services for the main Volkswagen Group, work exclusively with British Gas to deliver a package of home charging installations, aftersales services and preparatory electrical upgrades across the UK. This will help customers to transition to EV smoothly and cost effectively, initially across the Volkswagen, SEAT, ŠKODA and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles with plans for Audi to join later this year, Centrica said, adding that Volkswagen Group has committed to introducing 80 electric and plug-in hybrid models by 2025.
Centrica Consumer CEO Sarwjit Sambhi reminded that getting carbon out of transport by accelerating EV adoption is critical for net zero. “We’re proud to play our part by helping enable the EV transition for Volkswagen, one of the world’s most forward thinking and ambitious automotive companies,” he said. “Centrica is committed to a pathway for the energy transition in line with the Paris agreement through focusing on three things – helping our customers reduce their emissions, reducing the emissions of the energy system as a whole, and reducing our own. We made material progress on all of these during 2019 and are committed to a plan for delivering net zero by 2050,” Sambhi added.
For him part, Volkswagen Group UK Managing Director Alex Smith said 2020 is a landmark year for Volkswagen as the Group launch the ID.3, the first car on the ground-breaking MEB platform. “The Volkswagen Group is committed to the Paris Agreement on climate change and we have set our goals on zero carbon emissions by 2050. Here in the UK we will do our part, and I am delighted that Elli have teamed up with Centrica to deliver home charging solutions. This will give customers even more confidence as they make the switch to emission free driving,” Smith said.
Centrica said the company 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. It also offers a British Gas electric vehicle tariff that allows consumers to take advantage of off-peak electricity prices by using the car dashboard or car manufacturer’s app to schedule EV charging during the cheaper night time hours.