Visa have announced they will partner with JustCharge, the community electric vehicle (EV) charging service operating from private driveways and other locations across the UK. The new partnership rewards Visa cardholders for using JustCharge network of community electric vehicle (EV) charging points when they pay using their debit or credit card.
This setup makes life easy for those using a Visa card and natural like any other contactless purchase, rather than signing up to lots of different apps and payment schemes. A recent survey carried out by Visa found that 95 percent of drivers said standardised payment across public charging points would give them greater choice and accessibility.
JustCharge enables electric vehicle owners with a private charger installed at their home or business premises to rent it out to other electric car drivers when not in use via an intuitive app. By unlocking thousands of available charging points close to workplaces, homes and commuter stations, it helps to make electric car ownership a viable option for many more UK households.
Research by JustPark shows that if just five per cent of households with a home charger joined its community charging network, this would double the number of charging locations available in the UK today.
Enabling private homeowners to monetise periods when they’re not using their charging point themselves also helps mitigate the loss of the government Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEZ) Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme (EVHS), which ended in March 2022.
According to research by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), most new electric vehicle owners charge at home. However, more than half of British households have no designated off-street parking, creating a national divide in the viability of EV ownership. The same report states the problem is particularly acute in the north of England, where the ratio of electric vehicles to charging points now stands at 52:1, compared to 30:1 in the south.
The SMMT also reports that electric vehicle sales now account for one in six new UK car registrations and growth in public charging facilities has significantly fallen behind this surge in demand. Its figures show that while plug-in car registrations grew by 280 percent between 2019 and 2021, charge point availability increased by only 69 percent.
Mike Strahlman, Director of EV at JustPark, said: “We must collectively find solutions to help millions of British households transition to clean-air vehicles. While EV demand is growing dramatically, public charging infrastructure is falling significantly behind.
“Unlocking thousands of home chargers during the 90 percent of the day they are not in use makes EV adoption a possibility for more than 50 percent of British households without access to designated off-street parking. This partnership with Visa is a landmark moment in our efforts to redress the balance and make EV adoption an effortless, viable and cost-effective solution for millions more UK drivers.”
Charlotte Hogg, Chief Executive of Visa Europe, said: “The challenge we collectively face is to grow our electric vehicle charging infrastructure rapidly and strategically, and find sustainable solutions today to avoid creating problems for the future.
“Innovative solutions like JustCharge, which provides secure, managed public access to private charging points, can make an immense contribution to overall EV charging provision. We’re delighted to be involved through this new partnership.”
