Energy supplier Ovo has acquired public EV charging app Bonnet for an undisclosed amount.

Bonnet’s app gives access to over 80% of the UK’s charge points

Ovo said the deal would bring accessible public charging to millions of customers while underlining its focus on developing new propositions to help accelerate the green transition

Bonnet is one of the largest public charging consumer apps – its app has over 80% of the UK’s charge points available, giving EV drivers access to over 27,000 chargers at 7,000 locations.

The app not only enables EV drivers to locate and use public charge points, but also takes charge of payment, without switching between different cards or logins.

Ovo said the acquisition underlines its focus on developing new propositions to help accelerate the green transition and support customers on their journey to zero carbon living.

Mat Moakes, chief commercial officer at 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 experience and scale we will encourage more people to adopt electric vehicles and transition to a greener lifestyle.”

The deal will also see Bonnet’s co-founders, Patrick Reich and Eliot Makabu, join the Ovo team.

Patrick Reich, CEO and co-founder of Bonnet, said: “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.”

Eliot Makabu, CTO and co-founder of Bonnet, commented: “Reducing the impact of climate change sits at the core of our business and, through our efforts, we have been enabling people to drive cleaner vehicles. In Ovo, we find a like-minded partner with outstanding green credentials, and together we are looking forward to continuing to have a positive impact on the world so that more people and businesses can embrace clean transport and renewable energy.”

Ovo has also announced that its Charge Anytime EV home charging plan has now hit the milestone of saving customers more than £3m. Launched earlier this year, the tariff add-on has now been dropped to a rate of 7p per kWh, making it the cheapest plan on the market according to the energy giant.

Powered by smart technology from Kaluza, the add-on works by automatically optimising cars to charge when emissions and prices are low.