Waitrose and Shell have announced ambitious plans to grow their partnership, installing hundreds of electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the supermarket’s car parks. This will more than double the number of Shell forecourt shops where Waitrose food is available.
The companies are targeting the installation of 800 Shell Recharge electric vehicle charging points in up to 100 Waitrose locations across the UK by 2025. Each site is expected to have six 22kW and two 50kW rapid charging points so customers can charge their vehicles while they shop.
Electric vehicle charging is expected to launch at the first Waitrose shop early next year. It will represent Shell Recharge’s first move into “destination charging”, whereby customers charge their vehicle while it is parked at a location they are primarily visiting for another activity such as shopping.
Shell’s ambition is to grow its Shell Recharge-branded network to 5,000 charge points on forecourts and other locations by 2025. It’s good to see these partnerships working in such a positive way helping towards a cleaner future. Plus increasing the amount of electric car infrastructure is great news for electric car drivers and those making the switch in coming years.
Bernadette Williamson, Shell UK Retail general manager, said: “This is great news for EV drivers across the UK, knowing they can easily, quickly and reliably charge up at Shell charge points while shopping at Waitrose.
“We want to make EV charging as hassle-free as possible and support our customers wherever they want to charge.”
James Bailey, Waitrose executive director, said: “This is an important partnership for Waitrose and means we can offer even greater convenience to more of our customers.
We’re also delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.”
