Tesco has reached an electric vehicle charging milestone, with its Kirkwall superstore becoming the 600th store in the UK to have EV charging points installed.
Since Tesco, Volkswagen and Pod Point launched the network in 2019, the charging points have provided 43,218kWh of energy to date - enough to power more than 4,000 homes for a whole day.
The installation at the store on the remote Scottish island of Orkney, is the culmination of a programme which has seen 2,500 EV charging bays installed at 600 Tesco stores across the UK and Northern Ireland over the past three years – with all electricity used to charge cars generated from renewable sources. The network also includes 129 rapid chargers.
Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK and ROI, said: “It is with great pride we announce that we have hit our target of providing EV charging at 600 stores across the UK.
“From Orkney all the way to Southampton customers now have the option to make sustainable choices and we’re giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us.”
Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point founder and CEO, described the 600-store target as an “awesome achievement”, making the Tesco rollout the UK’s biggest retail EV charging network.
“Since 2019, we’ve been giving drivers the confidence to go electric with a secure, reliable and accessible way to top up while they shop,” he said.
“We are incredibly proud of our partnership with Tesco and Volkswagen, and with the contribution we’re making to the UK’s charging infrastructure.”
Sarah Cox, head of marketing at Volkswagen UK, added: “We’re really proud of this partnership with Tesco and Pod Point, which has always been about providing sustainable charging access and infrastructure to all BEV and PHEV vehicle owners in the UK.
“Hitting the 600-store milestone means that we are continuing to support as many people as possible to make the switch to electric mobility.”
The supermarket giant first announced it had introduced free chargers at 100 of its Tesco stores in 2019. It was subsequently expanded to 500 stores in March of last year.
However, last autumn it announced it would start charging EV drivers to use its supermarket charge points at all stores from November 1, 2022.
The 600th store milestone also coincides with the next phase of the Tesco EV charging network with Pod Point installing the retailers’ first set of 75kW charging units, on a trial basis, to complement the existing 7kW, 22kW and 50kW units across the Tesco estate.
From this month customers shopping at the Tesco Cheshunt, Osterley, Shrewsbury, Ashby De La Zouch and York Extra stores, and at the Newark New Ollerton Superstore will be able to benefit from the new 75kW public rapid chargers.
A further six stores will be installed with 75kW units as part of the trial later this year.
The range of charging speeds will cater to the different charging requirements of customers from those looking for a simple top up, to drivers needing a fuller charge. The 75kW will be available at 69p kWh.
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Gareth has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist having started his career in local newspapers in the 1990s. Prior to joining Fleet News in 2008, he worked in the public sector as a media advisor and is currently news editor at Fleet News.
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