[New] New partnership to give Addison Lee drivers access to affordable EV charging

Mark Bursa

Addison Lee has announced a new partnership with independent electric vehicle charging aggregator Bonnet, designed to provide partner drivers with discounted EV charging.

The deal will give Addison Lee drivers access to more than 20 charging networks, including more than 1,000 rapid charge points across the capital. And drivers will also see the price of charging reduced, receiving a £5 charging credit each month for the first four months of the partnership.

Bonnet’s ‘Turbo Boost’ scheme, which costs £8 per month, will give Addison Lee partner drivers a 15% discount on the standard network tariff for all charges.

Addison Lee wants to transition its standard fleet to fully electric by the end of 2023, and the company said it would have 1,000 Volkswagen ID.4 EVs on London’s streets by the end of this year. However, research carried out earlier this year by the firm revealed clear barriers to the uptake of EVs in the capital – most notably, issues with the city’s charging network.

According to Addison Lee data, almost four in 10 (39%) of its partner drivers spent over half an hour trying to find a rapid charger, with almost half (49%) reporting that they found chargers not working or damaged, and 65% drove to a charger to find it already in use.

With real-time data easily located all under one app, Bonnet will provide Addison Lee’s partner drivers with useful information on the closest, available charge points to them –helping them to charge their vehicles and be back on the road in as little time as possible.

Patrick Reich, co-founder and CEO of Bonnet, said: “Taxi and private hire drivers are among our most popular users, and we’re pleased to be able to reduce their costs plus ensure they have the most convenient, flexible experience possible.”

Liam Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee, said: “Since we announced our transition to electric, we have formed several important partnerships to ensure we can provide the drivers that work with us with seamless access to EV charging. Partnering with an innovative brands like Bonnet, means our partner drivers will no longer be at risk of taking wasted journeys to busy and broken charge points.”