Egg gives electric vehicle charging a jolt

Hatching a plan

Driven by a desire for sustainability, more people are interested in electric vehicles (EVs). Still, many would-be buyers stall before they make the switch.

A primary speed bump is knowing the vehicle will be reliably charged. Public charging options can be inconvenient and unreliable, and the options for at-home charge points can be expensive, confusing and time-consuming.

Liberty Global, the world’s largest international TV and broadband provider, had recently acquired The Phoenix Works, a sustainable energy company with expertise in EV charging. Together with Accenture, it launched Egg. The renewable energy brand makes it easier and more affordable to order and install home EV chargers in the UK. It also offers other clean technology solutions. By providing a quick, simple and affordable path to home charging, Egg aimed to make EV ownership easier for a new generation of drivers.

A super-charged strategy

Liberty Global and Accenture brought together a team of strategists and creatives with an entrepreneurial mindset who worked in rapid iterative testing cycles to define the product and refine it in market with real customers.

Egg keeps things simple: Easy installation of a home charge point, an affordable monthly fee over three years and a repair-or-replace promise that offers consumers peace of mind. Before, the process of getting a home charge point required detailed sign-ups, with long lag times and hidden costs. Egg instead minimizes steps through a simple online system. Its streamlined approach reduces the time from idea to installation from five days to a mere five minutes. It also includes tech support and maintenance in its fee to offer customers the security of long-term reliability. And its repair-or-replace promise means that, if problems arise, customers get back up and running without extra costs. 

Sunny side up

Over nine months, Egg went from an idea on the page to a reality in the marketplace, with a successful beta and hundreds of new subscribers. Support from Liberty Global was key: the telecommunications giant didn’t have the same vulnerabilities as smaller start-ups trying to enter the market and could move quickly from concept to funding and launch.

As Egg’s customer-facing service gains ground, the company is also working with offices and property developers to install charge points in new locations. And it’s committed to other sustainable offerings, including solar panel installation and at-home energy storage.

Ultimately, the venture is about more than charge points: it’s a way to support the public’s growing desire for eco-friendly lifestyles. Egg’s simplified approach and focus on accessibility aims to clear the road to a more sustainable future.