Pod Point installs 100th EV charger at Lidl store
Pod Point, one of the largest UK providers of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, has installed its 100th rapid charging point for supermarket chain Lidl.
Installed at its Hayes Uxbridge Road store in Hillingdon, West London, the rapid 50KW charger is part of a £25 million strategy which will see 350 chargers installed at Lidl supermarkets by 2022.
Lidl claims it provided 1.1 million kWh of energy to power customers’ vehicles in 2020 – enough energy to drive 4.4 million electric miles or fly around the world 177 times.
It’s estimated that EV drivers using Lidl’s charge points have saved over 1.77 million kg of CO2 since the first installations went live, equivalent to removing 920 diesel cars off the road.
Lidl’s EV customers can now charge their EVs with up to 80 percent charging capacity in 50 minutes with the retailer claiming it is the cheapest national supermarket chain for PAYG rapid charging, at 23p/kWh.
Commenting on the milestone, Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point Founder & CEO, says:
“When most people think of Lidl, they probably think of food and drink. However, Lidl has also made an enormous contribution to rapid charging infrastructure in Great Britain. Currently, 2.5 out of every 100 rapid chargers in the UK can be found at Lidl stores, and there are many more in the pipeline.”
Adds Alan Barry, Chief Development Officer for Lidl GB:
“We are committed to empowering our customers to make the right decisions for their lifestyle and are delighted to have reached this important milestone of bringing rapid charging for Electric Vehicles to 100 of our stores. We look forward to delivering this service to even more local areas in the near future as we continue with our investment.”
Lidl is also home to the most energetic public charger within the Pod Point network, the industrious ‘Nick-Bill’ at the Lidl Northolt in West London which delivered almost 40,000 kWh in 2020.
The partnership is on track to install a further 250 rapid chargers at Lidl stores by the end of 2022.
