The Ecotricity network of around 300 public charging points will charge £5 for a rapid charge lasting 20 minutes via a new mobile phone app.
Based in Stroud, Goucestershire, founder Dale Vince said usage had trebled in 2015, and its charging points have powered more than 30 million free miles of travel since 2011.
A company spokesperson said the charge is “still significantly less than the equivalent cost of a petrol or diesel car, while the network will remain free for Ecotricity domestic energy customers”.
Its 40,000 members will now need to download a new mobile phone app to make payments, which also includes a ‘live feed’ of the Electric Highway charging network, showing the location of charging points and their availability.
The app for Android and Apple devices will also allow users to manage their accounts and will replace the current card-based payment system.
Ecotricity will be modifying all its charging points, with work beginning on 11 July and lasting until August 5. Until the changes are made, points will continue to work with the free card system, while updated chargers will require you to use the app for payment.
With a network stretching from John O’Groats to Land’s End, Ecotricity, “believes that by 2030 every new car should be electric (pure or hybrid), and that by 2040 they should be the only cars on the road.”
