Monta, the EV Charging platform, has extended its strategic partnership with clean energy solution provider Egg in the UK. In May 2023, the two companies first announced a partnership. That aimed to create a commercial charging solution with around 500 commercial charging points across the UK by the end of the year. Owned by Liberty Ventures Egg delivers clean energy to commercial and residential customers. This announcement extends Monta into the residential sector.
This latest announcement sees the launch of an Egg energy application. This will allow customers to have a unified and seamless EV charging experience. Whether at home, in public, or at the destination.
Enterprise Times asked Alok Dubey, Regional Director, Strategic Sales – West at Monta, some questions about the announcement and partnership. I asked Dubey how successful the partnership has been to date. Dubey replied, “Our partnership with Egg has been very successful since we partnered in March 2023, and since then there have been just shy of 300,000 successful charges delivered. The new Egg energy app was also delivered by the Monta team in just eight weeks.”
On this announcement, Dubey stated, “With a shared commitment to building a sustainable future through innovation, our partnership expansion with Egg will see both companies working to support the UK’s transition to EVs in a truly sustainable way. We’re confident that together Egg and Monta will make the transition to EVs easier for all, as the 2035 ban on the sale of new internal combustion engine cars and vans approaches.”
Richard Peacock, Head of Infrastructure at Egg, said, “We’re excited to announce we are strengthening our partnership with Monta. Together, we’re introducing the Egg charging app, a seamless solution for hassle-free EV charging across workplaces, fleets, and public charging services.”
The new Egg energy app
The app gives access to the full Monta suite, and access to over 500,000 charging points across Europe currently connected to the Monta network. It supports over 500 different charge point models. It will also allow businesses to combine multiple charging models within a single site.
The app can also provide a detailed charge history so that users can track their energy spending. They are also able to share private chargers with family, friends and neighbours using a set of rules.
The app includes five key features:
- SmartCharge automatically starts charging when energy is the cheapest or greenest.
- PowerBank pauses any charges on home chargers during a grid imbalance and then credits the users. This recently launched feature aims to reduce the risk of brownouts across the UK network. It is already proven in the Nordic region.
- Sponsored Charging allows any home charging to be reimbursed by employers as part of any company schemes.
- Car integration allows users to check battery levels, whether the EV is plugged in and whether it is charging.
- Charging on the go provides access to 500,000+ chargers with the ability to access additional features such as Smart Queue, Auto Charge, Smart Booking and Dynamic Pricing.”
The application can be used in a residential or commercial setting. The key point is that if charging points are within the Monta network, this is the only application that people need to charge their vehicles. It means that customers no longer have to have multiple apps and accounts installed on their mobile devices. It also means that charging history data is contained within a single application.
Taking the next step
I asked Dubey whether Egg and Monta have any joint go-to-market initiatives within this partnership. He replied, “We will continue to work collaboratively with Egg on co-branded marketing initiatives which leverage shared resources and audiences to help achieve our shared objectives. This will include (but not be limited to) website content, social media support, newsletters and webinars.
“We are working on a co-branded case study that documents how we’re working together to support the UK’s net zero goals. This investigates how energy is used and how home and EV charging operate as a fully sustainable ecosystem. This upcoming case study will include the results of our partnership to date and how we will continue working together.”
How will the partnership develop further in 2024? Dubey answered, “We have been working with Egg since March 2023, supporting their commercial customers to manage the access, pricing and scheduling of their charge point network. Now, with the launch of the Egg energy app our ambition for 2024 is to support Egg in doubling its UK EV users.”
With the broader, enhanced offering that Monta now provides, Egg is aiming to double its EV business during 2024.
Enterprise Times: What does this mean
This is just the latest move by Egg to increase its presence in the UK EV charging market. In 2023, it partnered with Lookers Motor Group to roll out EV chargers across its dealership network. It also teamed up with the RAC to offer home EV chargers to all of its members. Etopia Homes also partnered with Egg to add EV charging points to its new residential properties.
Extending the partnership with Monta demonstrates that the two companies enjoyed some success on the commercial side. It will now look to extend to the residential side. For Egg customers, this is good news. It has become much easier for them to access Egg energy at many of the available charging stations.
For Egg, this delivers a better customer experience to its customers, a key factor when people consider their energy provider. As more people move to using an electric vehicle, having a seamless experience for EV charging is vital to retain and attract new customers.
