Sainsbury’s launches smart EV charging service
The retailer expects to deploy over 750 Smart Charge bays in more than 100 locations by the end of 2024, and become one of UK’s top five providers of ultra-rapid charging.
Sainsbury’s has launched Smart Charge, a brand-new, dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging business.
The service aims to give drivers access to ultra-rapid EV charging points across the supermarket chain’s locations. Smart Charge is the first and only EV charging business to be fully owned and managed end-to-end by a UK supermarket, with technology and equipment provided by Kempower.
As of today, the service is available at around 200 ultra-rapid charging bays at just over 20 locations.
“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,” said Patrick Dunne, Director of Property, Procurement & EV Ventures at Sainsbury’s.
Smart Charge bays allow users to fully charge their vehicle in as little as 30 minutes, providing enough power to travel up to 200 miles. Many of the chargers can also charge even faster if a driver’s vehicle battery can accept higher charger speeds, up to 300kW.
Sainsbury's already has plans for adding new charging hubs to the Smart Charge network regularly in the coming future.
