500th store with EV points

The number of electric vehicles registered in the UK increased by 76.3% in the year to 2021

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.

“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.”

The network has provided 41 million miles of free electricity since it was created.

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.”