Swedish Energy provider Vattenfall has signed an agreement with Shell’s European electric vehicle charging provider, NewMotion. The agreement will allow UK customers of each company access to both of the companies’ public charging points via an app or charge card. Vattenfall currently operates over 118,000 charging stations in more than 30 European countries. This deal has been made with the aim of increasing the quantity of UK charging stations that allow for roaming.

Currently, the UK is home to roughly 25,000 charging stations, though only a small portion of these are open to roaming agreements. Presently, there is no UK legislation imposed on electric vehicle charging facilities. So far, the Government has focused on promoting the installation of electric vehicle charge points rather than the integration of roaming and pay-as-you-go agreements. However, in an open consultation published in July, the Department for Transport indicated that the industry “risks a proliferation of smart chargepoint systems developing with varying standards and functionality” and that legislation may be needed to combat these risks. The statement also recognised that this intervention may need to occur earlier rather than later, claiming that “intervention in an early market will avoid a more costly and potentially more disruptive intervention at a later date.”

The agreement between Vattenfall and NewMotion will allow customers of each company access to more charging infrastructure, an early example of the kind of co-operation the Government wants to see in the future. If the private electric vehicle industry continues to make similar deals, government regulation could be held off in the short term.

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