UK smart charging firm hopes to break down barriers to electric vehicle adoption

With a projected 10 million EVs on UK roads by 2030, intelligent charging has potential to save UK motorists £2.8-£3.5bn per year compared to dumb charging

Ohme App, the free smart charging app for electric vehicles, enables EV owners to save hundreds of pounds every year, while delivering invaluable insight to energy operators to help them balance the grid.

Launching today, Ohme App is the latest technology from Ohme, the intelligent electric vehicle charging company and represents a major milestone in the company’s mission to lower the barriers to EV adoption and accelerate the transition to clean energy.  By offering many of the capabilities of smart charging through a free app, Ohme is providing more EV drivers access to intelligent, low cost charging by giving them the ability to control how much they pay to charge their vehicle from their smartphone. There is no need for additional hardware, the app communicates directly with the car: EV owners simply download the app and start taking control of their charging immediately.

Combining Ohme App with a time-of-use tariff brings the cost of driving 10,000 miles down to just £160-£210 – an annual saving of £275-£350 compared with dumb charging, and £1,300 compared to petrol powered vehicle traveling 36 miles per gallon. With 10 million EVs expected on UK roads by the end of the decade, this equates to a potential £2.8-3.5 billion of savings per annum for UK motorists in 2030, compared to using a standard charger on a fixed rate tariff.

As well as lowering the barriers to EV adoption, the app offers invaluable insights into EV charging patterns and usage. This is crucial for energy companies seeking to better understand EV owners’ behaviour, enabling them to manage demand more intelligently and protect the National Grid as the UK moves to a low carbon economy.

Ohme App was developed to integrate with the company’s portfolio of intelligent charging solutions. The app is key to driving Ohme’s momentum and expansion into new markets after the business grew by a factor of ten in 2020. With the company already present in nine global markets, the app is central to Ohme’s ambition to further expand its European footprint in 2021.

The app will initially support Tesla vehicles, before rolling out to at least three other manufacturers in the coming weeks.

David Watson, CEO of Ohme, said, “Last year the UK government made the bold decision to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030. We welcome the ambition, but we must also acknowledge the scale of the challenge. The two biggest short-term obstacles to EV adoption are cost and energy capacity. While prices of EVs are falling, they won’t be as affordable as petrol vehicles for a few years. Meanwhile, our energy grids were not designed to support millions of future EVs and will not be able to cope unless energy demand is carefully managed in the future.

“Ohme App demonstrates how a single, smart solution can meet both challenges head-on. By taking advantage of time-of-use tariffs, we can help drivers make significant savings on the cost of charging their vehicles. This also benefits energy operators by spreading demand more intelligently and providing crucial insights to help them future proof the grid.”