- Energy provider EDF has launched a new home charging subscription in the UK in collaboration with Pod’s ‘Pod Drive’ subscription.
- Through this new subscription, UK EV drivers can pay a £40 monthly fee for three years, which includes a Pod Solo 3S charging unit, free home installation, as well as a lifetime warranty and ongoing cashback.
- EDF hopes that by removing upfront fees, the offer will make owning an EV an even more attractive offer.
EDF combines EV tariff with home charger subscription
Pod’s Pod Drive subscription model typically has a £99 set-up fee, but under EDF’s offer, this fee is also waived, helping to remove all upfront costs associated with a home EV charger installation. With more and more new electric cars beginning to achieve price parity with their ICE counterparts, from the Vauxhall Frontera Electric to the Ford Puma Gen-E, EDF’s offer will help bring down initial ownership costs of first time EV drivers further, increasing their accessibility.
To be eligible for this offer, customers must also be signed up to either of the firm’s EV-tailored energy tariffs: EDF GoElectric or EDF Evolve. Combining the zero-upfront cost home charger with the GoElectric tariff gives the opportunity to save on charging – with an off-peak charging rate of 9p per kWh, EDF estimates that the average driver will save £280 a year compared to a standard energy tariff. Factor in those who have taken up the Pod Drive subscription in place of using public charging, and EDF says that saving could rise to an estimated £372 per year.
The high upfront cost of installing a home charger can be seen as a barrier to EV ownership, adding an additional cost after vehicle purchase. Subscriptions such as these offered by EDF and Pod could be crucial to enable more drivers to make the switch, as the UK gets ever closer to its 2030 ZEV mandate on new cars.
Rich Hughes, Director of Retail at EDF, commented:
“Pod Drive is a major step forward in making EV ownership easier and more affordable for drivers by removing the upfront costs of getting a charger and allowing customers to spread it across a longer term, much like a phone contract.”
