Changes to our public charging pricing structure in Birmingham and Coventry
14th MARCH 2022
A number of changes to ESB Energy's charging pricing structure will take effect on Tuesday, 29th March in Birmingham and Coventry:
Having offered EV drivers in Birmingham over 11,000 free charging sessions since ESB Energy installed its first charger in Spring 2021, pay for use will now be introduced in Birmingham from 29th March.
There will be an increase on all transactions across all payment plans when you charge your EV using ESB’s Energy public charging network in Coventry which will bring it in line with our charging network in London. The new pricing structure will come into effect on Tuesday 29th March.
Why do drivers in Birmingham now have to pay for their charge?
To mark the installation of our first charger(s) in Birmingham, ESB Energy offered drivers free charging for an introductory period. Drivers have availed of free charging since Spring 2021 while we rolled out almost 80 charge points (35 chargers). The introductory period will come to an end on 29th March.
What are the prices?
Please see the table below for full view of our new prices in Birmingham and Coventry.
| PAYG (Mobile App) | Membership | PAYG Contactless | Taxi | |
| Fast Charging (up to 22kW/ £/kWh) | £0.40 | £0.38 | £0.40 | £0.38 |
| Rapid Charging (50kW, £/kWh) | £0.45 | £0.42 | £0.45 | £0.42 |
| Connection Fee *Coventry only - contactless | None | None | £0.50 | None |
| Monthly Subscription | None | £4.99 | None | Free |
The unit rate for drivers on Fleet plans will also change to £0.42 per kWh for Rapid charging and £0.38 per kWh for Fast Charging.
Why are prices increasing?
Unfortunately, the wholesale cost of electricity in the UK, as well as in Europe, has dramatically soared to an unprecedented level over the past year. This increase in our operational costs means we are unable to continue to provide our services without having to increase the price of charging on our network.
We really value your custom and while we have done all that we can to absorb the increases and avoid passing these additional costs to you, this increase is unfortunately unavoidable. We will continue to offer you the most competitive rates available and will work hard to keep the cost of charging as low as possible.
Do drivers need to do anything?
If you are already signed up to use ESB Energy’s public charging network, you do not need to do anything – the new rates will be displayed on the EV Plug In app and you can continue to charge as normal.
If you have not signed up to an ESB Energy PAYG, Membership or Taxi plan, we encourage you to do so here.
If you are already signed up but wish to change your price plan, please contact us via our details below.
From Tuesday 29th March drivers will no longer be able to use non ESB Energy charger access cards. You will require a PAYG, Membership or Taxi account on the EV Plug In App, an ESB Energy charge point access card or a Roaming Partner card to access all chargers.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our new prices, we are here to help 24/7 via phone or you can contact us via email:
E: EVsupport@esbenergy.co.uk
T: + 44 345 609 0372