British Gas and Zaptec pilot cost-saving communal EV tariff

Energy supplier British Gas and charger brand Zaptec have launched a trial of a new communal EV tariff that they say could cut charging costs by up to 50%.

The UK-first initiative is designed to reduce energy costs on shared chargers and could save property developers, landlords and residents in flats and other shared living spaces money on their bills.

Currently, anyone using communal chargers in areas such as apartment car parks pays significantly more than a driver with their own private off-street parking. Landlords and property developers also pay relatively high infrastructure costs, which the pilot will help address.

Residents taking part in the trial scheme will see daytime and overnight rates drop by more than 50%, according to British Gas. It says it expects daytime costs to be around 22p/kWh, while off-peak overnight rates will be as low as 15p/kWh. Both are under the current domestic standard variable rate and significantly cheaper than public charging, which costs an average of 71p/kWh, according to Zapmap.

The 12-month trial also promises to reduce bills for landlords, cutting shared infrastructure costs from around £400 to £40 per month.

Matt Wood, director of British Gas Business said “For years, the lack of fair and accessible charging options has been a barrier to EV adoption for those without private off-road parking. This is an important project, championing lower costs for both landlords and residents. British Gas are proud to be leading this change with Zaptec.”

Michael Braybrook, managing director UK at Zaptec added: “Until now, residents in flats and shared buildings have been stuck on the sidelines of the EV transition. This partnership finally changes that. It gives a long-overlooked segment of the market access to fairly priced, high-quality charging that simply hasn’t existed before. Partnering with British Gas allows us to deliver a complete, scalable solution that makes communal charging both practical and affordable and that’s a major step forward for EV accessibility in the UK.”

As well as cutting costs for participants, the pilot scheme aims to gather data on how residents use shared chargers to help future roll-outs meet customers’ needs.

Jade Edwards, head of insights at Zapmap, welcomed the move. She said: “Our analysis of annual driving costs shows that the ability to charge at home, rather than relying wholly on public charging, can make a dramatic difference to the cost of driving electric and in turn encourage more people to make the switch. Giving people fair access to home charging, regardless of their living arrangements, together with measures to address the high cost of public charging, will be critical to ensuring that EV adoption continues at pace.”