ISELIN, N.J., May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Centrica's distributed energy and power business, Centrica Business Solutions, has launched a new electric vehicle (EV) offer designed to help businesses tackle the challenges of the EV transition. Centrica's industry-leading EV expertise will now be available in North America.

Businesses are being offered a combination of products that will allow them to meet the additional power demands of new charging points by generating, storing and managing their own power on site. In addition to the provision of new solar and battery storage facilities, customers will be able to integrate their EV chargers with existing energy infrastructure and access local energy management services to ensure they are managing their growing fleet in the smartest, most efficient way.

The 'EV Enablement' package of solutions has been developed in response to the growing EV market in both the US and the UK. By 2030, it is estimated 18.7 million EVs in the U.S. (7% of total car stock) will be on the road, calling for 9.6 million charge ports¹. In the UK, it is predicted that EVs could require up to 18GW of additional power by 2050, an increase of 30% on top of today's peak demand².

Research carried out by Centrica has shown that 75% of businesses surveyed are planning to introduce EVs into their fleets. However, less than half (43%) of those have considered the implications of what that could mean in terms of their energy demand.

Centrica's offer is a build on its experience of supplying over 17,000 charging points since 2012 as well as racking up over one million electric miles in the last five years operating the UK's third largest commercial fleet of 14,000 vehicles.

"The adoption of electric vehicles is no longer a question for tomorrow. For businesses, the transition to EV is a big opportunity to become cleaner, more sustainable and more efficient. We believe distributed energy technologies will be key to supporting the cost-effective roll out of EVs, reducing the need for costly grid upgrades and new centralized generation capacity," said Jorge Pikunic, Global Managing Director for Centrica Business Solutions. "Our offer has been designed to be fully flexible so that, whatever stage businesses are at on the EV journey, we can help make the transition simpler, faster and more affordable. We are proud to bring the experience we have developed in the UK to North America for the first time where are team is poised to work with our partners there to accelerate the transition to low carbon transportation."

The acceleration towards EV is being driven by businesses and public bodies that are not only committed to improving sustainability, but also have the resources and economies of scale across their commercial fleets to make EV stack-up financially.

Centrica Business Solutions has already managed several large-scale 'EV Enablement' projects. Examples of key projects include:

• Constructing six of the initial Tesla Supercharger hub sites across UK roads. This included working with the distribution network operators, delivering new power to the site, managing HV work and handling installation of all onsite logistics such as transformer and Tesla chargers and cabinets.
• Designing and building one of the first city charger hubs in the UK to combine EV charging with on-site storage and renewable generation. In the first year, the project saved an estimated 122 metric tons of carbon emissions.

To find out more go to www.centricabusinesssolutions.com/us/ev-enablement.  

About Centrica plc
Centrica plc is an international energy and services company. Our purpose is to provide energy and services to satisfy the changing needs of our customers. We've been serving customers for over 200 years and aim to be at the center of their daily lives - central to helping them run their world.

Under the Centrica Business Solutions brand, we deliver integrated energy solutions for businesses and other large energy users, combining distributed energy technologies and a variety of commercial options to improve performance and cost management, drive decarbonization, strengthen resilience, and create opportunities for growth.

Through Centrica we also provide energy trading services, and supply energy through Direct Energy in North America, British Gas in the UK, and Bord Gais in Ireland. Centrica manages over 2.5GW of flexible demand globally.

To learn more about Centrica Business Solutions, please visit www.centricabusinesssolutions.com.

¹ Edison Electric Institute - http://www.edisonfoundation.net/iei/publications/Documents/IEI_EEI EV Forecast Report_Nov2018.pdf

² National Grid Future Energy Scenarios (Consumer Power) - https://www.nationalgrid.com/group/case-studies/electric-dreams-future-evs

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SOURCE Centrica plc