Tesco and VW take charge with electric cars

Tesco and Volkswagen say they’re developing the UK’s largest retail electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

Customers will be able to charge their electric cars using a normal 7kW charger for free. Or they’ll be able to use a ‘rapid’ 50kW charger for a small cost in line with market rates.

Tesco and Volkswagen will roll out more than 2,400 EV charging bays across 600 Tesco stores in the next three years. The charging bays will be based in Tesco Extra and Superstore car parks. British EV-charging company Pod Point will install the bays.

Tesco says it wants to offer customers and local communities an alternative to fossil fuels. It also wants to play its part in supporting the transition to a low-carbon, clean-air UK. This aspiration builds on Tesco’s commitment to 100 per cent renewable electricity that it made in May 2017.

‘Environmental challenges’

“This is part of our wider commitment to addressing the environmental challenges that matter most to our customers, colleagues and communities,” Tesco CEO UK & ROI Jason Tarry said.

“We want to be the leading EV energy provider and to support our customers with more sustainable solutions. Our EV network provides a sustainable choice for our customers. Charging while they shop is another little help to make their lives easier.”

Head of Marketing at Volkswagen UK Geraldine Ingham said: “This incredibly exciting partnership underlines the scale and ambition of our EV programme in the UK. Working with these partners to provide such an extensive network of EV chargers should leave no one in any doubt about the Volkswagen brand’s wholehearted commitment to an electric future.”