Tesco provides half a million free EV charges

Tesco has provided drivers with half a million free electric vehicle (EV) charges. 

In partnership with Volkswagen and Pod Point, the supermarket is working to install free EV charging points at 600 supermarkets across the UK. 

Thanks to this partnership, they have now provided EV drivers with three million kWh of free carbon-neutral electricity. This is enough to drive the new all-electric Volkswagen ID.4 SUV around 10.4 million miles.

The Tesco Extra in Slough has been the busiest supermarket for free charging – with the charge points used more than 10,000 times.

Based on the average new petrol or diesel car sold in the UK, the scheme has reduced carbon emissions by approximately 2,120 tonnes – the same as more than 2,770 acres of forest will manage in a year.

Tony Hoggett, chief operating officer at Tesco, said: ‘We are committed to reducing carbon emissions in all our operations and aim to be carbon neutral in the UK 2035.

‘As part of this, we want to encourage our customers to play their part with the rollout of free-to-use EV chargers to 600 of our stores. Providing customers with charging points offers them a sustainable choice and giving them the opportunity to charge their car for free while they shop is a little help to make this easier.’

Erik Fairbairn, founder and CEO of Pod Point Founder added: ‘Reaching the 500,000 charges milestone is testament to the growing appetite for EVs as well as the ease and convenience of the charging experience.

‘The partnership is making great strides towards our goal of delivering the nation’s largest retail EV charging network — one that is reliable, accessible, secure and free making it even easier for drivers to choose electric and accelerate adoption.

‘We look forward to powering up even more local areas as we continue our roll out.’

Photo Credit – Pixabay