A partnership between Pod Point and Lidl GB to install 350 rapid chargers by 2022 has reached the 100th rapid charger milestone.

The milestone was achieved following the installation of a 50kW charger at the Hayes Uxbridge Road store in Hillingdon, West London.

Lidl, which has rapid chargers in 100 stores across Great Britain, provided 1.1 million kWh of energy to power customers’ vehicles in 2020, according to Pod Point network data.

It’s estimated that electric vehicle (EV) drivers using Lidl’s charge points have saved over 1.77 million kg of CO2 since the first installations went live, the equivalent to removing 920 diesel cars off the road – the data also revealed.

Erik Fairbairn, founder and CEO at Pod Point, said: “When most people think of Lidl, they probably think of food and drink.

"However, Lidl has also made an enormous contribution to rapid charging infrastructure in Great Britain.

"Currently 2.5 out of every 100 rapid chargers in the UK can be found at Lidl stores, and there are many more in the pipeline.”

Lidl’s EV rapid charger rollout represents a total investment in EV charging infrastructure of over £25M and forms part of the store’s commitment to address range anxiety, accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and help customers to lead more sustainable lives.

Alan Barry, chief development officer at Lidl GB, said: “We are committed to empowering our customers to make the right decisions for their lifestyle and are delighted to have reached this important milestone of bringing rapid charging for electric vehicles (EVs) to 100 of our stores.

“We look forward to delivering this service to even more local areas in the near future as we continue with our investment.”

Lidl is also home to the public charger within the Pod Point network, the ‘Nick-Bill’ at the Lidl Northolt in West London.

The 100th charger milestone represents around 13% of the total Lidl footprint with rapid charging facilities.

Pod Point extended its partnership with Lidl GB in 2019 and is set to install a further 250 rapid chargers by the end of 2022.