Volvo Cars is driving down the cost of electric car ownership in a new partnership with energy supplier OVO and energy software company Kaluza, giving drivers access to home recharging at a market-leading low price, at any time of day.
Owners of eligible Volvo EVs using OVO’s Charge Anytime free add-on can benefit from a special rate of just 7p per kilowatt hour, equivalent to around just 2p per mile driven. Those taking advantage of the offer will further benefit from a £50 credit to their OVO energy plan, sufficient to cover the energy cost of around 2,700 miles of driving in a Volvo EC40.
The add-on works by automatically optimising charging when carbon emissions and prices are lower. Volvo owners need to have an OVO account and then select the Charge Anytime add-on using their Volvo Cars app. They can then access the discounted charging rate when they connect their car to their compatible home charger, at any time of day. According to OVO, the special rate is one of the most competitive in the UK, helping owners charge their vehicle for as little as £217 a year.
Charge Anytime is powered by Kaluza’s advanced software platform for energy and is calculated by OVO to have helped its customers save more than £11 million since its introduction in 2022.
New research by OVO suggests that financial considerations are key to UK drivers’ decisions to switch to an EV. More than half (56%) of those surveyed say lower running costs are the main factor that would influence their decision, followed by government or tax incentives (40%). Three in four reported that they would be more likely to purchase an EV if they had access to a charging tariff which automatically charges their car at the lowest rates possible.
Nicole Melillo Shaw, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said: “With this new partnership with OVO and Kaluza, we’re helping our customers maximise the benefits of electric car ownership, both in terms of their day-to-day running costs and by reducing their energy carbon footprint. The economic and environmental benefits of this initiative will add to the appeal of our award-winning models and encourage more people to make the move to EV ownership.”
Mat Moakes, OVO Chief Commercial Officer, said: We’re committed to accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and rewarding customers for making the switch. Volvo Cars is a leading manufacturer of EVs, and this partnership will help offer affordable motoring to more customers than ever before. This is another way we are helping our customers cut costs and carbon for a greener future.”
Neel Gulhar, Chief Product Officer at Kaluza, said: “Integrations like this are exactly what automakers and energy retailers need to put customers at the centre of the energy transition and ensure nobody gets left behind. We’re proud to partner with the world’s largest auto brands and forward-thinking utilities to accelerate the adoption of EVs within a smarter, greener energy system.”
