Tesco says it has saved more than 24,000 tonnes of carbon emissions by installing electric charging points at 600 stores. Offering charging points enables Tesco to give its shoppers convenient services as they buy in-store while also building the charging infrastructure of the UK for the future.
The 600th charging point was installed at Tesco’s store on the Scottish island of Orkney. Since the network was founded in 2019, through a partnership between Tesco, Volkswagen and Pod Point, 43,218 kWh (kilowatt hours) of energy have been provided through charging points – or enough to power more than 4,000 homes for a day. The typical household uses between 8.5kWh and 10 kWh a week. Shoppers have used the chargers more than 6m times, saving more than 24,000 tonnes of CO2 as a result, says Tesco. It cites Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders figures that show by the end of February 2023 there were 693,307 battery-electric cars in the UK, an increase of 610% on the number of BEVs in 2019.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK chief executive , says: “From Orkney all the way to Southampton, we’re helping customers to make sustainable choices by giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us. Hitting our target of 600 stores with EV charging is a great milestone – and our work doesn’t stop there, as we’re now installing our first 75kW rapid chargers too.”
The chargers can be used by the drivers of electric cars from any EV manufacturer, who confirm their charge via the Pod Point app as they plug in. Pod Point is now installing the first set of 75kW rapid charging units in a trial at Tesco stores in Cheshunt, Osterley, Shrewsbury, Ashby De La Zouch, York and Newark. Later on this year a further six stores will be equipped with the 75 kW charging units. The innovation is designed to offer shoppers a further choice around how they charge their cars, adding to existing 7kW, 22kW and 50kW units across Tesco stores.
Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point founder and chief executive, says:“Meeting the 600-store target is an awesome achievement and makes the Tesco rollout by far 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. 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, says: “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.”
Tesco is rated Elite in RXUK Top500 research.
