Issue details

Since the installation of the GMEV charging network in 2012/13, GM has not charged customers to charge their vehicles. In January 2018, the report to GMCA on the Transport Budget for 2018/19 noted that the Budget Scrutiny Panel had agreed to a proposal to commence charging for use of the service.

In November 2019 the GMCA received a report on Greater Manchester Electric Vehicle Charging Tariff Proposal. GMCA meeting agreed the Pay as You Go tariff on the publicly owned EV charging network, subject to the development of a satisfactory Membership Scheme with authority to approve the Membership Scheme and to implement the proposed electric vehicle charging tariff delegated to the Chief Executive Officer, GMCA & TfGM, in consultation with the GM Mayor.

The current EVCI tariffs were introduced on 20th May 2022 and were set based on electricity costs of 34 p/kWh. Since then, Be.EV’s electricity costs have increased and fixed at 54p/kwh due to rapidly increasing wholesale energy prices in Spring/Summer 2023. This increase in electricity costs has to-date been largely offset by the introduction of the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) which provided a discount of c.21p/kWh and in turn allowed TfGM to keep tariffs at their current levels.

However, the EBRS comes to an end on 31st March 2023 and will be replaced by a significantly less generous discount of just 2p/kWh.

Therefore, in response to the increase in BeEV’s energy costs, the end of the EBRS scheme and the need to recover non-energy related scheme costs, it is therefore proposed that a tariff change is now implemented. This change ensures that the resulting increase in energy costs are recovered through the tariff and should ensure that revenues are sufficient to meet TfGM’s operating costs. Tariffs will once again be reviewed in October 2023 and will reflect any underlying changes in Be.EV’s electricity prices.