EV News Round-up: December 2023

By Kyle Roache

Last updated: Dec 15th 2023

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Lotus announces a competitor to Tesla's Super Charger and the Dacia Spring wins awards ahead of its arrival to the UK.

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Zap-Map reveals the UK’s best charging networks

Full results for both en-route (rapid) and destination/on-street can be viewed on Zap-Map's website.

The time of year has come when Zap-Map releases its annual satisfaction rankings for the UKs charging networks.

Charging networks are divided into two categories, destination/on-street and en-route (rapid), and get a score out of five. 

En-route (rapid) charging networks

Fastned has came out on top for the second year running scoring a 4.5 out of five star rating.

MFG EV Power has also held it’s spot in second place for the second year running scoring a four out of five.

Finally, Osprey has knocked Instavolt out of third place this year also scoring a four out of five star rating.

Destination/on-street charging

With almost 670 locations across England and Wales, Mer charging won first place on Zap-Map's satisfaction rankings with customers giving the network a three and a half out of five.

Coming in at second place was Connected Kerb also scoring a three and a half out of five.

Finally, Ubitiricty came third place also scoring three and a half stars out of five.

Bonnet joins the OVO Energy family

Energy supplier OVO Energy announces that it has successfully completed the acquisition of the public EV charging app Bonnet. 

The announcement comes as Ovo celebrates saving its Drive Anytime customers more than £3 million since the add-on tariff’s launch earlier this year. 
Mat Moakes, Chief Commercial Officer, OVO, said: “Like Bonnet, we want to revolutionise the EV charging experience and take another step forward on our Path to Zero.

Using innovative technology they’re connecting EV drivers to the best charging networks available and turning every charge point into an accessible and simple charger that any driver can use.

By combining Bonnet’s cutting-edge app and OVO’s experience and scale we will encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles and transition to a greener lifestyle.” 

With Patrick Reich, CEO and Co-Founder of Bonnet, said: “This is an exhilarating moment for Bonnet and our team. We have long admired OVO and what they’ve been doing to make owning an EV as easy as possible.

At Bonnet, we share this mission, and since we launched in 2021 we’ve made charging publicly across the UK and Europe simpler and more reliable for our more than 150,000 engaged drivers and their families. 

“Our driver community has always been at the heart of every move we’ve made – from product updates to our strategic direction - and we know partnering with OVO is going to unlock new opportunities, such as new features and integrations to people’s homes. 

“By being part of OVO, as one of the UK’s leading energy companies, we can now fully double-down on our ambitions for growth and seize new opportunities to help EV drivers, building into the entire driver journey – whether at home or away.” 

Find out how much you could save on your annual charging costs by switching to Ovo Charge Anytime using our handy cost-to-charge tool. 

You can even compare Ovo Charge Anytime’s charging costs with many of the UK’s most popular EV energy tariffs like Intelligent Octopus Go and EDF Drive Electric.

Lotus to build EV chargers

Aiming to take on the likes of Tesla’s mighty Super Charger Network, Lotus announces plans to build its own range of charging solutions as the company moves closer to its goal of becoming all-electric by 2028. 

The range includes a liquid-cooled all-in-one 450kW DC charger, which can add 88 miles of charge to the massive 111.9kWh battery found in the Lotus Electre R in just five minutes.

There's also a modular charging unit which can charge up to four vehicles at once with a maximum total power output of 480kW. 

According to a survey conducted by the Energy Policy Institute, nearly 80% of participants citied the lack of charging infrastructure as the reason for not buying an EV, which is something that Lotus hopes to address with their new range of charging solutions. 

Lotus’ charging solutions have already been rolled out in China with Europe and Middle Eastern countries soon to follow in Q2 2024.

Dacia Spring nabs Top Gear’s bargain Car of the Year award

The Dacia Spring, Dacia’s entry into the EV market has already taken Europe by storm and has most recently wowed the judges of Top Gear’s bargain car of the year award with its ‘unrivalled combination of value, usability and fun-filled driving experience’. 

The Spring beat every other car on the market to the title regardless of how they were powered with Jack Rix, Editor of Top Gear magazine stating that: “The Spring is a perfect fit for electric power, despite its shortish range - even going non-stop for 12 hours in a congested city won’t flatten its battery.

It bowls cheerfully along, its ride is actually quite supple and controlled, its narrowness turns lanes and alleys into superhighways.” 

Full pricing and specs for the Spring will be announced in 2024 with Brits being able to register their interest via the Dacia website. 

Osprey hatches an egg-citing rewards program for its app users 

EV drivers charging using the Osprey app will now be able to take advantage of Osprey's Hatch Card scheme. 

For every charge session over 25kWh started using the Osprey app, drivers will be given a virtual egg which users can tap to hatch to be in with a chance to win a prize. 

Signing up to the Osprey app is free, so if you use Osprey chargers a lot and don’t mind having another app on your phone then you could be missing out. 

Alternatively, Osprey also accepts Electroverse, the charging app that gives you one-tap access to thousands of chargers across the UK and Europe – You'll even get 20% off at Osprey chargers when you charge between the hours of 7pm-11pm and £5 free charging if you sign-up through us.
 

Renault releases the first 5 E-tech teaser

Fans of the iconic Renault 5 will be pleased to hear that the French car maker will be staging the world premiere of its long-awaited successor, the 5 E-Tech, at the Geneva International Motor Show on the 26th of February. 

Exclusive close-up pictures revealing the front and rear headlights, the signature wheel arches and the unique air intake on the bonnet which lights up to reveal a charge indicator were released on the 1st of December and can be viewed on Renault’s website. 

Details are limited, however we do know that the Renault 5 E-Tech will launch with a 52kWh battery which will power the car for up to 248 miles, a bidirectional charger that supports V2G technology and will be the first Renault built on the carmaker’s new AmpR Small platform which Renault says is designed for “true driving pleasure”. 

Exact delivery dates have yet to be announced however buyers can get first dibs by joining Renault’s R5 R Pass program for £150.

Plans for charging hub near Stamford’s A1 axed

According to Lincsonline, Osprey’s plans for a charging hub consisting of 16 rapid chargers has been refused by the South Kesteven District Council amid concerns that the site will attract "anti-social behaviour" and “ruin the open countryside”

If plans had gone ahead, the Ospreys charging hub would have been situated on Greenfield Land South of Tinwell Road in Stamford, close to the A1.

Coun Cleaver, who is the leader of the council, said: “The fact it’s discreetly tucked away close to the A1 fuels concerns it will be a magnet for anti-social behaviour with people driving in and doing things they shouldn’t be.”

The full story can be on the Lincsonline website.