Reliable. Customer-friendly. Green.
A few of the principles with which Clenergy EV is operated - and the same goes for the thousands of charge points that are managed by Clenergy's software - that's why we're delighted to be welcoming them onto the Electroverse!
Already operating over 4,000 chargers on the public network, we decided to sit down with Will David, CEO, to discuss what's next for Clenergy EV.
Let's get plugged in...
Clenergy EV started as a passion project, focused on tackling our most urgent challenge; climate change. With the world’s CO2 emissions exceeding 40 billion tonnes in 2023, including 37 billion from fossil fuels, I saw the EV transition as a way to help drive these figures down. It was my way of making a difference.
We currently operate over 4,000 charge points on the public network, and many more in private or under a white label. On top of these, drivers in our app can use hundreds of thousands of chargers across the UK and Europe as our answer to range and charge anxiety issues.
In terms of the next steps, we already have charge points as far out as New Zealand and St. Lucia, so there really is no limit in terms of reach.
Wherever there are EV drivers, there’s potential for Clenergy EV.
No problem. Our software sits hidden behind many national charge point networks. We have customers who oversee hundreds or even thousands of charge points in locations up and down the country, each needing to adhere to Government guidelines for things like charger reliability, contactless payment terminals, 24/7 helplines and more. Our software offers branded and ‘white label’ solutions to make it easier to deliver a better experience for EV drivers and to keep operators in control of their network, however far it spans.
Every EV driver poll seems to say the same thing; they love their EVs but see charging as a drawback. In short, our software is designed to make charging better. We work to identify some of the biggest problems in our infrastructure and build specific features to tackle them. To us, it’s the easiest way to make EV transition a success.
Well, Clenergy EV is first and foremost a software company. We constantly work to deliver the most advanced software available, with everything we do focused on making charging and management easier. Our approach makes sure our level of product and service is the best it can be.
Let’s face it; charging hasn’t always been as easy as it could be for drivers. For us, helping is about correcting that. We constantly work with operators to keep networks reliable and user-friendly and offer EV drivers the potential to make the most of future innovations like vehicle-to-grid, roaming, contactless payments and demand flexibility programmes so chargers don’t become outdated as EV tech develops.
I set up the business to contribute to our fight against rising worldwide emissions, and last year alone, we helped our clients record carbon emission reductions of 3306 tonnes collectively - the equivalent of the yearly absorption of 140,000 trees.
But besides helping our customers become greener, we make sure to practise what we preach.
Internally, we run our own EV fleet, use 100% renewable power in our offices, and source only 100% renewable power on the charge points we operate ourselves. With my background in the sustainable energy industry, this will always be a huge priority of ours as we grow.
The UK installed around 4,600 rapid charging stations last year, with that number only expected to grow to meet Government targets. But despite this, misunderstanding of rapid charging is common. In reality, charging speeds are still often limited by restrictions in the vehicles themselves; not the chargers they’re plugged into.
With 16.7 million new EV sales expected in 2024 worldwide, however, newer technology will mean cars with faster charging capability will help challenge this ‘slow’ charging perception.
Operators could do more to be transparent about the amount of power they’re able to deliver - and we’ll continue to encourage this from our partners. But ultimately, the future of fast charging is looking positive, and we’re excited to see what it’ll bring for promoting continued EV adoption!
In five years, we want our software to be on a significant proportion of EV chargers. Whether that’s with drivers with home chargers or through extending our programme across more white labels, partnerships, and CPO clients.
Our software’s functionality will only improve in that time because we’re always advancing. I think one of the big ones is Plug & Charge.
With software backing, the ability to plug in at any public charger, charge to full battery, and get back on the road without any extra driver intervention becomes a real possibility. And on top of that, we’ll be in a great place to allow our customers to fully take advantage of vehicle-to-grid schemes.
With EVs becoming a main part of our UK energy infrastructure, we’ll be looking to enable our drivers to become part of the ‘virtual power plant’ to help balance the grid and earn money by selling electricity back at expensive peak times.
Plug & Charge is the next generation of EV charging, and Octopus Electroverse is one of the few brokers to enable this technology. To learn more about Plug & Charge and see whether your EV is currently eligible, just head to our blog!
At the moment, EV charging is made up of fragmented local infrastructure - a bit like national rail. Except unlike travelling by train, many EV charging stations require different ‘tickets’ to others and make it difficult for travellers to use them interchangeably.
Partnerships like this make it easier, with drivers able to use one app or card to roam with absolute freedom across our public infrastructure.
For me, it’s a Kia EV6. I wouldn’t turn down a Porsche Taycan GTS Turismo, but the EV6 offers amazing miles per kWh rate and a great range for the price.
Bridgend to Poland. It was a 1,250-mile round trip across 7 different countries, charging on the public network along the way with Clenergy EV roaming. It was a breeze!
That’d be charge scheduling; taking advantage of cheap off-peak tariffs to make massive energy savings on your at-home charging. It’s one of the key features of the Clenergy EV home charging offering and will save me personally £2,000 a year in charging costs.
Using our chargers is simple, so you shouldn’t encounter much trouble. But planning ahead never hurts, making sure you identify charge points that fit your itinerary if you’re in a rush.
It’s also worth remembering that some chargers may be in signal blackspots, so having an RFID card can be handy.
Keep an eye on your charge session. People often plug in and disappear, which is okay - so long as you’re mindful of when your session finishes. Our app sends notifications to let drivers know when a session is finished to help avoid unnecessary waiting in charging queues or holding up the person next in line to charge.
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