One of the UK’s largest supermarkets is launching a new ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging service to help drivers have confidence in the UK’s charging network.
Sainsbury’s has unveiled Smart Charge, a new EV charging business designed to give drivers access to ultra-rapid EV charging ports across its stores.
According to data from the supermarket, 80 per cent of EV drivers admitted to avoiding long journeys because they do not want to charge at a public charging station.
The biggest issues seen with the public infrastructure include chargers being broken, not enough charging bays and the speed of service.
Sainsbury's new Smart Charge facilities
SAINSBURY'S
To combat the perception of the public charging network, Sainsbury’s is launching Smart Charge to install over 750 ultra-rapid charging bays across 100 stores by the end of the year.
This would put Sainsbury’s in the top five providers of ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging in the UK.
Almost a third of drivers have admitted that they haven’t been able to use ultra-rapid charging infrastructure.
The latest data from Zapmap shows that there were almost 54,000 EV chargers across the country at the end of December, an increase of nearly 900 since November.
However, there are just 10,497 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers across the UK, with the Government and private companies pushing for more investment into faster charging infrastructure.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement and EV ventures, said the decision to install more EV chargers would help drivers have confidence in an electric future.
More than 200 chargers have already been installed across the country
SAINSBURY'S
He added: “With our new network of easy-to-use and reliable charging points conveniently located in our supermarkets, Smart Charge will make a real difference to EV drivers in the UK.
“As one of the few providers to be focusing exclusively on cutting-edge ultra-rapid 150kW+chargers, customers can be in and out in as little as half an hour and avoid waiting longer with less powerful alternatives.
“We’re committed to reducing our carbon emissions and reaching Net Zero in our operations by 2035 and offering a national EV charging service forms part of this pledge.”
The charging points are also powered by the same 100 per cent renewable electricity that powers the rest of its operations – namely solar and wind power.
Sainsbury’s new 150kW Smart Charge bays allow drivers to fully charge their vehicle in as little as 30 minutes, providing enough power to travel up to 200 miles.
If a shopper has a newer electric vehicle and can accept charging speeds of up to 300kW, the chargers can provide more power.
The Smart Charge network has already launched at more than 20 stores that are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Anthony Browne, Minister for Technology and Decarbonisation, said: “Businesses play a crucial role in the delivery of EV infrastructure, so it’s great to see Sainsbury’s embracing ultra-rapid technology which will benefit EV drivers.
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They are already available at over 20 stores
SAINSBURY'S
“Together with industry we’ve supported the installation of over 52,600 charge points across the UK, an increase of 44 per cent from last year.”
