Electric cars come with a few side costs that make them rather unique. The charging post is one of them. A Dutch company now offers to lease the charger first instead of paying the upfront cost. Similar initiatives are emerging in other countries.
Service model
Charging is increasingly turning into a service model. Two parallel experiments, one in the Netherlands and the other in the UK, show that the charger itself can become a financed asset, with the cost recovered through the act of charging.
This month, Norwegian charger maker Easee and Dutch ERE registration service provider Zeres launched a lease-to-own program that eliminates the upfront cost of a charger entirely. The user becomes the owner after two to three years. No interest rate applies.
Offsetting emissions
The scheme became possible with the introduction of the ERE system in the Netherlands. Every kWh pumped into an EV at home generates a tradable certificate, because that kWh replaces liquid fuel that would have been burned. Fuel suppliers like Shell and BP must buy those certificates to offset their emissions.
The supplier uses these certificates to fund the charger. Once the cost is fully covered, ownership transfers. After that, every euro gained from ERE is pure margin.
The model estimates that these certificates are worth €300 to €500 per year. Clients are being reimbursed at around €0.12 per kWh.
Hardware barrier
Further windfall for Easee is that to participate in the ERE scheme, chargers need a MID-certified energy meter. Most early wallboxes do not have one. So Dutch EV drivers who want the income face a hardware barrier: buy a new charger, or miss out on hundreds of euros per year. Easee now makes that decision a bit easier.
Existing Easee owners can also upgrade older non-MID chargers through the same mechanism.
Though the UK has no ERE system, a comparable service is active. Last year, Pod launched the Pod Drive, an all-inclusive home charging subscription. Instead of paying the typical purchase cost for a charger of roughly 1,500 euros and installation, subscribers pay £99 (€115) upfront plus £40 (€46) per month.
The subscription bundles the hardware, installation, lifetime warranty, and a 48-hour service guarantee.
From ‘dumb’ to income
Pod Drive also rewards smart charging. By shifting charge times to off-peak periods, customers earn cashback on up to 7,500 miles (ca. 12,070 km) per year, worth roughly £170 (€200). That cashback does not come from carbon certificates like the Dutch ERE system. It comes from grid cost avoidance. The effect is the same: charging generates value that subsidizes the hardware.
These examples show how charging will evolve in the near future. While Europe is still flooded with ‘dumb’ chargers, next-generation stations will actively upgrade into revenue-generating assets. What’s not to like?
