Premier Inn owner to install 1000 ENGIE EV charging points
Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn hotels and restaurants Beefeater and Brewers’ Fayre, has struck a deal with energy company ENGIE, to deliver what it claims is the UK hospitality sector’s biggest roll-out of high-powered electric charging points.
Whitbread, which has over 800 hotels across the UK, aims to install up to a thousand GeniePoint Network rapid charging points, beginning with 600 committed over the next three years as part of its Force for Good sustainability scheme.
To mark the announcement, the UK’s Premier Inn has ‘electrified’ its logo by ‘plugging in’ its famous moon logo and is renaming itself Plugged Inn for the day.
News of the innovation – the UK hospitality sector’s largest rollout to date – will satisfy increasing consumer and guest demand for electric charging points as the car industry becomes progressively more electric, claims Whitbread.
Whitbread’s move has been made as part of the company’s wider sustainability commitment to reduce its environmental impact through its Force for Good Sustainability programme. The company recently announced its commitment to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Access to the charging points will be for guests as well as members of the public using ENGIE’s GeniePoint Network. ENGIE will install high-power chargers which will enable cars to replenish in around 30 minutes.
Says Simon Leigh, Group Procurement Director at Whitbread:
“Electric vehicles are one of the ways in which the UK strives for a greener future and we’re pleased to help drive this goal forward with what we believe is the UK’s biggest roll-out of rapid charging points to date.
“We know that ‘range anxiety’ is a real concern for many of our guests who own electric cars. Knowing that in many locations they will soon be able to arrive and have access to a high-speed charge point to quickly refuel their car while they relax and refuel.”
The rollout will include installations across the Whitbread network of brands including its Premier Inn hotels and restaurant brands including Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Cookhouse + Pub and Whitbread Inns. The list of locations will be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure an excellent UK wide distribution of charge points are available.
The chargers are accessed via the GeniePoint App, available from the App Store or Google Play, or by RFID card. Drivers also have access to free customer service which is available 24/7. To find out more about Premier Inn’s new partnership and announcement visit www.premierinn.com/electric-charging
