Tesco reports 300% increase in use of its electric vehicle charging points
Tesco has seen a 300% increase in the use of its network of free electric vehicle charging points in the past year.
The supermarket giant launched the network across car parks at its Extras and Superstores in 2019 in collaboration with Pod Point and Volkswagen. Last month it opened the 500th location in the network, in Inverness.
The number of charging sessions across the network rose to over two million by February from 500,000 in April 2021. Tesco said it was on track to hit its target of 600 free charging sites at its stores.
Since Tesco, Volkswagen and Pod Point launched the network in 2019, the charging points have provided more than 41 million miles of free electric driving to motorists – the equivalent to travelling from Earth to the moon and back 85 times.
“We’re thrilled to see the rollout of free EV retail charging at our retail stores gather pace,” said Tesco UK and ROI CEO Jason Tarry.
“The network is helping customers visiting Tesco who need to save time and charge while they shop.”
Transport minister Trudy Harrison said: “It gives me great pride to see leading companies coming together to bolster the UK’s switch to electric vehicles. The government has already committed £2.5bn to support the rollout of electric vehicles.
“We will shortly be launching an ambitious infrastructure strategy, setting out our plans to deliver a world-class public charging network.”
