Leading fuel management and EV charging card company Allstar Business Solutions Limited has announced a new partnership with sustainable energy business GRIDSERVE. The collaboration means that the Allstar One Electric card is now accepted as the first third-party payment method alongside contactless on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway.

The partnership enables the Allstar One Electric card and roaming cards that are part of the Allstar Network to have full access to the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, including the two flagship Electric Forecourts® in Braintree and Norwich, as well as the High Power Electric Super Hubs and Medium Power Electric Hubs that cover 85% of the UK’s motorway service areas.

The two companies working together will give more EV charging options through the Allstar One Electric card for fleet customers charging on the road. For fleet managers, drivers using the Allstar One Electric card, over the standard contactless payment method, allows for continued control and visibility during the transition to fleet e-mobility.

“Allstar is really excited to have added GRIDSERVE Electric Highway to its network, which demonstrates our commitment to adding high quality and importantly high-speed networks for our fleet customers,” said Tom Rowlands, Managing Director, Global EV Solutions at Allstar Business Solutions.

“We are GRIDSERVE’s first partner alongside contactless card acceptance specifically for fleets, which offers us a unique proposition for our customers.”

Over the past year, GRIDSERVE has embarked on a multi-million pound programme to upgrade over 160 charging locations with new chargers, deliver additional High Power Electric Super Hubs across the motorway network, each featuring a bank of 6 to 12 x 350kW-capable chargers, and opened a new flagship Norwich Electric Forecourt.

Alongside contactless, the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway now accepts the Allstar One Electric card.

The rapid and far-reaching rollout has given huge numbers of drivers the confidence to know that they can depend on GRIDSERVE to provide a net zero carbon charge at motorway service areas as they embark on long distance journeys across the UK.

Indeed, three GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charging sites recently made the top five most popular charging locations, according to Zap-Map analysis of charging sessions in the second quarter of this year.

Earlier this year, Allstar Business Solutions partnered with Zap-Map to enable drivers to search, plan and pay for EV charging on the road.

EV drivers can download the Zap-Map app and add their Allstar Electric card to activate Allstar features, meaning they will benefit from enhanced features free of charge and be able to search for charge points – including GRIDSERVE locations accepting the Allstar One Electric card – across the entire Allstar electric charging network using Zap-Map’s filters and map view.

Drivers can also pay for EV charging at participating sites on the Allstar network via Zap-Pay, a single-app payment system that avoids the hassle of using multiple payment methods across different networks.

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“This decade is crucial for climate action and it’s vital that we deliver the solutions that will move the needle on climate change. The widespread transition to electric vehicles, powered by sustainable energy, is a key part of what’s needed,” said Toddington Harper, Founder and CEO of GRIDSERVE.

“We are committed to building an awesome UK-wide charging network, enabling anyone, anywhere, in any type of EV to take on any journey and have a great customer experience. We look forward to working with Allstar to deliver a fantastic EV charging experience for fleet drivers.”

What’s more, although sales of new cars are stalling, the EV market is surging, particularly for light commercial vehicle sales, which rose by 21.4% in 2021. This is a sure indicator that many companies are already starting to plan for – and action – the implementation of electric vehicles in their fleets.

“Recent vehicle sales figures show that there is a clear and growing appetite from UK fleet operators to incorporate EVs into their businesses and ultimately make the full transition. To help them achieve this it is essential that we partner with leading electric charging operators, such as GRIDSERVE. This will help us to offer greater access to charging points for drivers and reduce any threat of range anxiety for vehicles on the road,” Rowlands concluded.