Octopus Electric Vehicles has teamed up with Co Charger to help close up the EV charging gap by promoting community charging.

Octopus Electric Vehicles, which offers a home charger with every vehicle it supplies, will encourage drivers who lease its EVs to join Co Charger as Hosts

Co Charger is accelerating electric vehicle adoption, providing an app that enables people who can’t install a charger at home to charge at a convenient location.

Co Charger’s network of shared home chargers is now equivalent to the second largest charging network in the UK. The app adds another layer to the UK’s charging infrastructure, enabling millions more drivers to benefit from affordable, bookable charging while at home, thereby giving a major boost to the EV transition.

The platform also allows charger owners to make some additional income, with some Hosts earning as much as £1,000 a year.

Under the tie-up, Octopus Electric Vehicles, which offers a home charger with every vehicle it supplies, will encourage drivers who lease its EVs to join the service as Hosts. The company will also promote Co Charger’s services as an excellent means to run an EV.

In return, Co Charger has pledged to plant a tree for every Octopus EV customer that becomes a Host on the service.

Natalia Peralta Silverstone, head of propositions at Octopus Electric Vehicles, commented: “The EV market is coming of age but we must not take our foot off the accelerator. As more drivers make the switch to clean, green, cheaper driving, we need a whole repertoire of charging options. Co Charger is helping to plug the gap for those who don’t have access to cheap charging from their own driveway. Instead, we can create an army of EV drivers to rent out their charger – providing another charging option while earning some cash.”

Joel Teague, CEO at Co-Charger, added: “Every Co Charger Host can prevent many tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, improve their local air quality, and earn good money while doing it – just by enabling their neighbours to switch away from fossil-fuelled vehicles. Octopus EV is a trailblazer in the transition to EVs, and by adding more Hosts to the Co Charger network, they’re making an even bigger difference. By planting just one tree per new Host, we hope to create a small forest that represents well over a million tonnes of CO2 saved.”