Kia is teaming up with ‘&Charge’ to make the charging experience for their EVs more convenient in the UK and Europe. This cutting-edge platform uses smart user engagement, providing users with value-added services while they charge.
What is &Charge?
With &Charge, savvy EV owners can get rewarded for shopping at hundreds of UK retailers! Collect credits to pay for public charging sessions and reduce your total cost. Credits can be redeemed via the Kia Charge app to pay for public charging sessions, reducing the total cost of ownership. Customers can also earn credits by providing information and feedback on public charging stations.
The service is now live in the UK, and customers can download the app via and-charge.com, the App Store, or the Google Play Store.
Kia Collaboration
With its new partnership, Kia is looking to make waves in the world of e-mobility and reduce costs for customers. As one of the first companies on board with ‘&Charge’, they are aiming to overcome any impediments preventing the widespread adoption of all-electric vehicles!
Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President Marketing & Product for Kia Europe, said:
As we expand our EV offering, it is important that the charging network offers the same accessibility and quality of experience that our customers have come to expect from our state-of-the-art EVs. Collaboration with the ‘&Charge’ service platform can only strengthen our ability to meet this objective.
In the UK, customers can access more than 300 retailers via the ‘&Charge’ service platform, including popular DIY and home stores, clothing and fashion retailers, online travel sites and certain airlines, attractions and days out, food retailers and delivery services, and dozens of others. Users spending money through ‘&Charge’ build up ‘&Charge Kilometres’, with each kilometre equivalent to an average of £0.071 in Kia Charge credits (depending on retailer).
Improving European charging infrastructure
EV owners now have the chance to not only save money on electric vehicle purchases, but also play an active role in improving charging experiences across Europe with ‘&Charge’. Through regular feedback and pictures of public chargers posted by app users via the &Charge programme, operators can quickly identify problems and work towards providing a more reliable experience for everyone. Furthermore, EV drivers are rewarded when they provide their input – earning between one to five “&Charge Kilometres” each time.
By providing feedback, Kia customers will not only earn ‘&Charge Kilometres’ to use on public charging via the Kia Charge app but also help to ensure that the public charging infrastructure is operating at the level required to ensure progression of the e-mobility movement, adds Knipping.
Globally, Kia will offer a line-up of 14 fully electric models by 2027, in line with its ‘Plan S’ strategy. 2023 will see the production-ready debut of the highly anticipated EV9 SUV. This new model is based on Kia’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and will usher in a new era of sophisticated, high-tech, sustainable mobility for Kia.
