ubitricity and UK Power Networks Sign Agreement to Add Flexibility to EV Charging by Shifting Demand Away from Peak Hours

ubitricity and UK Power Networks Sign Agreement to Add Flexibility to EV Charging by Shifting Demand Away from Peak Hours

The deal, the first of its kind, demonstrates the potential for the EV charging industry to help shape a more sustainable energy landscape

London, UK Thursday 19th October 2023 – ubitricity, the UK’s leading Electric Vehicle (EV) charge point operator with a network of more than 7,000 public charge points, announced today a partnership with UK Power Networks (UKPN), the UK's largest electricity distribution network, aimed at revolutionising EV charging by shifting demand away from periods of peak demand and creating added flexibility for EV drivers. The collaboration is an industry first and underscores ubitricity's commitment to environmental sustainability and grid efficiency.

Under the terms of an initial two-year ‘flexibility tender’ agreement, ubitricity, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell plc, will implement a pioneering pilot program across a number of its public EV charge points to shift a significant portion of network utilisation for EV charging away from peak times. This will reduce strain on the electricity grid during periods of high demand.

As EV ownership grows, high volumes of drivers charging at the same time of day (e.g. after work) will create a surge in demand at a time when there is already high electricity usage. ubitricity is demonstrating how innovative approaches to managing when people charge can help the grid to cope, whilst still providing convenient and fairly priced charging.

While smart charging is available with some home chargers, ubitricity is the first company to introduce it at scale on a public charging network. By actively managing the charging schedule of its charge points and promoting solutions such as ubitricity’s smart charging, which allows customers to schedule charging sessions to pause during peak hours (4-7pm) over the winter period, ubitricity will support UKPN to alleviate pressure on the electricity grid. This approach aligns with ubitricity’s mission to create a sustainable future and promote responsible EV charging - which can reduce stress on the electricity grid, particularly at peak times.

"This agreement will directly contribute to lowering CO2 emissions by reducing demands on the grid at peak times, when fossil fuels are most likely to be used to generate electricity. We are proud to be the first fully public charging network engaging with electricity distributors to actively shift charging demand away from peak times, optimising EV charging infrastructure for the benefit of the grid and the environment,” said Toby Butler, Managing Director at ubitricity UK. “By embracing innovation and collaboration with partners such as UKPN we believe we can drive positive change, combining this together with our introduction of our Smart Charging feature making it even easier for customers to skip peak charging, we’re both reducing the use of fossil fuels and lowering EV charging costs for our consumers."

Sotiris Georgiopoulos, Director of DSO at UK Power Networks, said: “This agreement is great news for customers because we are opening up opportunities for even more people through flexible charging. Widening participation in flexibility is a key part of our plan to keep connecting low carbon technologies to the electricity network while delivering savings to customers of £60m in traditional network investment in 2023 alone.”


Media Contacts
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About ubitricity
ubitricity is the leading charge point operator in the UK and hosts a network of over 7,000 public charge points. Supplying lamppost, bollard, fast and rapid charge point solutions, ubitricity works alongside local authorities to expand public charging infrastructure in line with residents’ needs. Based in Berlin and London the company also operates in other European countries such as Germany and France. ubitricity is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Shell Group.
www.ubitricity.com


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