Osprey has launched a new automatic charging feature that lets compatible electric cars start a public charging session simply by being plugged in, removing the need to tap a card or open an app every time.
Osprey Go is available now to Osprey app users with compatible EVs and uses Autocharge technology to recognise the vehicle. Osprey says this makes it the largest UK charging network to offer Autocharge. Once set up, payment is taken from the card stored in the driver’s account and the best available Osprey price for that location and time is applied automatically.
For UK EV drivers, the appeal is straightforward: arrive, plug in and walk away. It does not make public charging completely universal, but it removes several of the steps that still make rapid charging feel less seamless than filling a conventional car.
How Osprey Go works
Osprey’s set-up process is deliberately simple, although it does require drivers to complete two normal app-started charging sessions first.
- Download the Osprey app and use it to start a charging session.
- Charge at two different Osprey locations using the app.
- During those sessions, the vehicle shares a digital identifier with the charger.
- Once Osprey has recognised a compatible vehicle, the driver can enable Osprey Go in the app.
- Future compatible sessions then start automatically when the vehicle is plugged in.
Osprey says payment is then taken from the card stored on the account, while live session tracking and VAT receipts remain available through the app. Drivers who already use Osprey can open the app to check whether their vehicle is ready to be registered for Go.
Osprey says its wider rapid-charging network now covers more than 400 locations from John o’ Groats to Land’s End, with charging speeds of up to 300kW. Osprey Go is designed to make charging at those locations more seamless for compatible vehicles.
Autocharge is not the same as Plug & Charge
The important technical distinction is that Osprey Go uses Autocharge, not the ISO Plug & Charge system increasingly discussed across the EV industry.
Both approaches are designed to remove the need for a driver to manually authenticate at the charger, but Osprey says it selected Autocharge because it can work with a broader range of drivers and vehicles today. The company is also exploring Plug & Charge for a future release, which it says would add a further interoperable form of vehicle-based authentication for compatible cars.
That distinction matters because not every EV will necessarily support Osprey Go. Osprey’s own set-up process confirms compatibility after the car has completed two app-started sessions at separate locations, rather than publishing a blanket claim that every vehicle can use Autocharge.
Dynamic pricing is part of the upgrade
Automatic authentication is only one part of Osprey Go. The other significant change is dynamic pricing.
Osprey says Go users automatically receive the best Osprey price available at that location and time. The company describes dynamic pricing as a longer-term strategy that can reflect changes in energy costs and potentially encourage charging demand away from more expensive or congested grid periods.
At the time of writing, Osprey’s standard pricing is 87p per kWh when paying by contactless bank card and 82p per kWh through the Osprey app, outside promotions. The network also runs a Weekend Saver Rate, giving app users 10 per cent off charging sessions started between 00:00 Saturday and 23:59 Sunday.
The key benefit of Go is that the driver should not need to stop and work out which Osprey tariff applies before starting a compatible session. Osprey says the system selects the best available Osprey price automatically.
Why this matters for EV drivers
Public EV charging has improved significantly in the UK, particularly as contactless payment has become standard on modern rapid chargers, but the overall experience can still vary between networks. Apps, RFID cards, roaming services and different authentication methods all remain part of everyday public charging.
That is one reason we have continued to track the UK public charging rollout. Adding more chargers is important, but improving the experience at the charger matters too. A reliable plug-in-and-start system removes one more potential point of friction, particularly for drivers who use the same network regularly.
It can also make a difference on longer journeys. In our guide to five things every EV driver should check before a long journey, planning where and how to charge is one of the practical considerations that can make a trip smoother. Automatic authentication does not remove the need to plan, but it can make the stop itself quicker and simpler.
Contactless and roaming are not going away
Osprey Go does not replace the network’s other payment methods. Osprey continues to support contactless bank cards on its chargers, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay and a wide range of roaming services and RFID cards.
That is useful because Autocharge is most valuable to regular Osprey users with compatible vehicles, while occasional users can still arrive and pay without creating an account. Osprey also accepts major roaming services including Octopus Electroverse, allowing drivers to keep using a broader charging account if that suits them better.
Tech Torque verdict
Osprey Go is a sensible improvement because it tackles one of the less glamorous but genuinely important parts of public EV charging: starting the session.
For compatible cars, being able to plug in and let the charger recognise the vehicle automatically is the sort of experience EV charging should increasingly move towards. Osprey’s decision to combine that with automatic access to its best available price makes the feature more useful than a simple authentication shortcut.
There are limits. Drivers need the Osprey app for the initial set-up, compatibility depends on the vehicle, and the convenience applies within Osprey’s own network rather than creating a universal UK charging standard. But with more than 400 Osprey locations, it is still a meaningful upgrade for drivers who regularly use the network.
The wider direction is encouraging: less time thinking about apps, cards and authentication, and more time simply plugging in and charging.
