The cost of charging an electric vehicle is climbing as some of the biggest charger providers raise prices
The cost of charging an electric vehicle is climbing in the UK as some of the biggest charger providers raise prices in line with surging energy costs.
In an email to customers, BP Pulse explained that ‘significant rises in the wholesale costs of electricity’ have impacted its own procurement costs so it’s raising charging costs to compensate.
BP Pulse operates more than 8000 public chargers across the UK.
We’ve always worked hard to keep the cost of charging as low as possible, and we’ve been cheaper than our competitors for some time, said network lead Mark Bloxham, but ‘we’re now no longer able to absorb the rising costs.’
The new prices will apply across the BP Pulse network from December 1. The cost per kWh of energy for subscribers has increased from 23p to 32p for the firm’s standard public chargers (AC 43kW/DC 50kW) and from 29p to 38p for registered users.
The firm’s fastest (150kW) devices will now cost 38p per kWh subscribers, 44p for registered users and 50p for pay-as-you-go users, while the slower 7kW units cost from 28p per kWh.
Meanwhile, Instavolt, which claims to be ‘the largest owner-operator of rapid DC charging stations in the UK’, has announced a price hike from 40p per kWh to 45p – also effective from December 1.
CEO Adrian Keen said: We’re in a period of unprecedented increases in the wholesale price of energy that’s affecting consumers and businesses nationwide, including Instavolt.
He highlighted that a homeowner seeking a new energy-supply deal today would be offered a tariff similar to public charging, reflecting the impact of the hike in wholesale energy costs, which in recent weeks has led to the collapse of several UK energy providers.
