Ovo Energy Offers New Mitsubishi EV Owners 10,000 Free Miles

Consumers who buy a new Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) will be able to charge it for free through Ovo Energy for its first 10,000 miles, the two companies announced this week.

New Outlander owners will need to sign up to Ovo’s renewable Energy EV Everywhere tariff to claim their free miles. Their accounts with Ovo will then be credited £20 a month for 24 months, to cover the typical cost of charging the vehicle.

Motorists will also receive a free 7kWh Ovo Smart Charger for their homes or membership to the EV charging network Polar Plus, which offers access to 7,000 charging points across the UK. Consumers have until the end of March to register their Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and sign up for the tariff.

According to Mitsubishi, an Outlander driven 10,000 miles in its Electric Vehicle mode will emit 1,610 tonnes of tailpipe CO2 less than a typical combustion-engine vehicle driven the same distance.

Rob Lindley, managing director of Mitsubishi Motors in the UK, said that "only by partnering with Ovo Energy could we make such a bold offer, and we hope it will successfully drive our shared ambitions of making transport in the UK more sustainable as quickly as possible.”

However, the sale of hybrid vehicles like the Outlander will be banned in the UK from 2035, the Prime Minister announced Tuesday. Boris Johnson said the prohibition on petrol and diesel vehicles, initially scheduled for 2040, would be accelerated and hybrids included in the ban, in order to help the UK meet its net-zero goal by 2050.

As of October 2019, one in 10 new vehicles sold in the UK is a hybrid or pure electric vehicle. However, growth in the market has been driven by hybrids, sales of which rose by a third in October, to claim a 5.5% market share. Fully electric cars represented just 2.3% of those sold.

Car manufacturers slammed the government’s accelerated ban as a “date without a plan” and suggested it may undermine the sale of hybrid vehicles like the Outlander. 

Mike Hawes, chief executive of Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), said: “It’s extremely concerning that government has seemingly moved the goalposts for consumers and industry on such a critical issue. Manufacturers are fully invested in a zero emissions future, with some 60 plug-in models now on the market and 34 more coming in 2020.

“However, with current demand for this still expensive technology still just a fraction of sales, it’s clear that accelerating an already very challenging ambition will take more than industry investment. A date without a plan will merely destroy value today.”

Green groups urged the government move the cut-off date even earlier, to 2030. The IPPR think tank, which backs a ban 2030, cautioned that significant public investment in charging infrastructure and consumer incentives will be needed to make the transition to EVs possible.

Luke Murphy, the head of IPPR’s environmental justice commission, said: “The longer we wait to take action, the more challenging, costly and disruptive the necessary changes will be. The government must support city-regions and local authorities in the expansion of electric vehicle charging networks, provide financial incentives to support the early market in electric vehicles and ensure the electric grid has the capacity to support additional demand.”

Motorists have repeatedly cited the high upfront cost of EVs and patchy public charging infrastructure for their hesitancy in embracing plug-in vehicles.

The Conservative Party manifesto pledged to invest £500 million in new EV charging infrastructure, to ensure there’s a charge point within 30 miles of every UK home. Labour has called for a £3.6 million investment in charging infrastructure and 2.5 million interest-free loans for EVs.

Ovo pioneered tailored home energy tariffs for EV owners in 2017, launching the EV Everywhere tariff, giving drivers free access to the Polar network or a home charger. 

E.on launched a tariff the following year giving EV drivers the equivalent of 850 miles of free driving while SSE’s One Year Fix and Drive, launched last October, gives EV drivers 2,000 kWh of electricity free to charge their EV between midnight and 7am—the equivalent of 8,000 miles. Ovo recently completed a £500 million acquisition of SSE’s domestic retail arm but is continuing to operate the company as a separate brand as it absorbs its operations.