UK Supermarkets Charging Up the EV Transition

A few weeks back, I shared a post highlighting the great work Sainsbury's have been doing to roll out EV charging across their supermarket locations. Well, it seems even more supermarkets are stepping up their game when it comes to charging infrastructure.

In 2023 alone, over 600 supermarkets added EV charging facilities, bringing the total to a significant 1,616 locations across the UK. That's 13% of all supermarkets offering a place to top up your electric car.

But it's not just the number of locations that's surging. The good news keeps rolling with a massive jump in the number of chargers themselves. Over 1,195 new charging units were installed, with 1,107 of them being of the super-fast rapid or ultra-rapid variety. This means that by the end of last year, 10% of all these high-powered chargers in the UK were conveniently located at supermarkets.

This is fantastic news for EV adoption as as we transition from early adopter phase through to mainstream uptake of electric vehicles, and I'm sure we will see more and more supermarkets getting involved. As Simon Williams, RAC EV spokesperson, points out, concerns about charging availability are still a barrier for people considering electric cars. Supermarkets are directly addressing this concern by making charging easier and faster than ever and their sites are typically perfect locations with lots of bays available for drivers to top up whilst they shop. 

Not least, with supermarkets holding a dominant role in UK fuel sales, it makes perfect sense for them to cater to the evolving needs of drivers. By offering rapid charging at a growing number of locations, they're not just keeping up with the times, they're actively accelerating the transition to electric vehicles.

Sainsbury's as I mentioned earlier is leading the charge (pun intended) with the most new installations last year, while Tesco boasts the overall number of chargers. This healthy competition between major retailers can only benefit drivers, offering more options and faster charging across the country. And don't be put off if you read that article from GB news yesterday regarding Asda reducing the number of chargers at their locations. Asda were in fact an early adopter who rolled out EV Infrastructure long before many of their competitors and it is a simple case they are ending their partnership with their current supplier and will later replace with with better quality equipment of their own. So in actual fact, this is good news contrary to how the media have tried to spin things as per!

Whilst Aldi says “Spend a little, live a lot”, now we can “shop a little, charge a lot”.

At Hyperion Executive Search, we work with EV Chargepoint Operators, manufacturers and service providers to hire senior talent to enable the continued growth in EV charger rollout and the subsequent transition away from fossil fuels. If we can help support your business, please get in touch.