Tesco has installed its 200th free to use EV charging point in its Chester superstore

Tesco’s Chester superstore has become the 200th store in the country to have free-to-use 7kW electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed.

The network has provided 669 MWh of energy so far - enough to keep the lights on in Chester’s homes for 24 hours.

Tesco has partnered with Volkswagen and Pod Point to provide the largest retail electric vehicle charging network in the UK, giving EV drivers a place to charge their cars while doing their shopping.

It is part of a nationwide rollout which will see 2,400 EV charging bays installed at up to 600 Tesco stores over three years – with all electricity used to charge cars generated from renewable sources.

The 402 charging points installed so far have provided 669MWh electricity to electric vehicles – enough to power 55,750 homes for 24 hours.

It is also estimated that EV drivers using the charging points have saved 374,391kg of CO2 tailpipe emissions - the equivalent of more than 1.8 million miles driven by the average new UK petrol car.

Jason Tarry, Tesco CEO UK & ROI, said: “We’re now well on our way to achieving our ambition of installing more than 2,400 EV charging bays across 600 Tesco stores.

“The 200th store is a landmark moment as we get back up and running with this programme after the Covid-19 pandemic meant we had to delay our plans.

“Providing customers with charging points offers them a sustainable choice and giving them the opportunity to charge their car for free while they shop is a little help to make this easier.”

Sarah Cox, head of marketing for Volkswagen UK said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve reached another milestone in our partnership with Tesco and Pod Point, there are now 200 stores with chargers that drivers of any electric vehicle can use for free.

“As the partnership continues, and more stores roll out new chargers, we are really proud to be breaking down barriers to EV ownership and demonstrating to people that living with an EV is easy.”

Erik Fairbairn, Founder and CEO, Pod Point said: “Our partnership with Tesco and Volkswagen is making it easier for drivers to go electric and will help speed up the transition to EVs. Vehicle electrification is one of the most powerful ways to stop travel damaging the earth.”    

Owners of electric cars made by any EV manufacturer can use the 7kW charging points for free. Drivers just need to download the Pod Point app, plug in the charger and confirm their charge.

The free charging points are a response to the growing demand for electric cars, with Volkswagen committed to help transform accessibility for EV owners.

It is estimated the average electric car owner will be able to get around 22.5 miles of free charge while plugging in for their weekly shop.

This is the equivalent of 1,170 miles per year of free electricity.

It is also estimated that EV drivers using the charging points have saved 358,636kg of CO2 - the equivalent of more than 1.8 million miles driven by the average new UK car.

374,391kg of tailpipe CO2 emission = 374,391,000 grams of tailpipe CO2 emissions

374,391,000 / 124.5 grams of CO2 (average new car) = 3,007,156 KM

3,007,156 KM = 124.5 divided by 7,600 = 1.86 million miles

Since the rollout began, the charging points across the UK have been used 150,000 times by EV owners of all brands - filling their batteries with a combined 669 megawatt hours of power. This is enough to power 1.56 million homes for one hour, or 55,750 homes for 24 hours - which should cover the electricity for the residential properties in a town or city with a population of almost 150,000 people such as Chester.

Ofgem says 1MWh can power 2,000 homes for one hour.

669MWH can power 1,338,000 homes for one hour = 55,750 homes for 24 hours

With 2.3 people in the average home this is 128,225

Chester population is 79,645 according to the 2011 census.