The B2B platform for full-electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles: Industry News

UK supermarket giant Sainsbury's supports London’s bid to become the EV capital of Europe with a city-wide charging network at eleven food stores. The move came just before the UK government launched a £30 million funding scheme for six pioneering cities making electric mobility a reality.

Sainsbury’s has taken London’s bid to become the world’s EV capital serious. The introduction of its electric vehicle charging network has allayed drivers concerns regarding the accessibility to charging points for EV’s. The construction of eleven charging points across the city is aimed at giving ‘drivers greater freedom’ of mobility as it will place half London’s population within a three miles radius of a charging point. The service will be free to Sainsbury’s customers.

The retailer aims to turn London into an “electric vehicle superhighway”, as announced by Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury’s commercial director, earlier this month. As one of the country’s most active users of EVs, the supermarket chain now hopes that its initiative will find followers quickly. Envisioning a greater presence of electric cars in the future the firm hopes “in ten years time, we envisage that recharge points will be available at all of our stores in large cities."

London’s mayor, Boris Johnson, welcomed the move. He was hopeful that it would help encourage migration of Londoners to EV’s as ‘the provision of charge points across the capital [will] ensure Londoners can go electric with the confidence that they can charge up where ever they are’.

“Plugged in Places” scheme provides £30 million support.

The move was in anticipation of the ‘Plugged In Places’ scheme launched 19 November by UK Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis. In the hope of establishing a ‘National Grid for Electric Vehicles’ the Departmenr of Transport is inviting bids for £30 million of funding for creating six pioneering cities that will make electric mobility a reality in the UK within the next two to three years. It is hoped that through this scheme it will ‘enable thousands of charging points to be installed on streets, in car parks, and in commercial, retail and leisure sites, based around hubs to give critical mass’. Sainsbury’s proactive move will bode well with the ministry that is relying on innovative participation from local authorities and business’s to help stimulate the EV market.