NewMotion is partnering with the UK’s fifth largest supermarket, Aldi, to provide EV charging points at all new Aldi store locations across the UK, allowing customers to charge up their EVs whilst shopping. This will add 140 chargers to the UK public network, with the potential of more to follow to match rising customer demand. Aldi will also install charge points at its headquarters in Atherstone to encourage and support the uptake of sustainable driving.
The NewMotion charge points will support charging speeds of up 22 kW, significantly higher than the 7kW chargers generally available. This will ensure Aldi’s EV infrastructure is future-proofed to accommodate newer EV models that will have bigger battery sizes and support greater charging speeds.
Alan McCleave, UK General Manager of NewMotion, said: “We are excited to be partnering with one of the UK’s fastest growing supermarkets. We are scaling up our offering in the UK to make EV charging easy and accessible for a growing number of drivers. Now is the perfect time for retailers and commercial businesses to invest in their charging infrastructure.”
Fritz Walleczek, Managing Director of Corporate Responsibility at Aldi UK, said: “Sustainability and protecting the environment is extremely important to us and our customers. We are delighted to be working with NewMotion to offer shoppers access to fast, easy charging facilities when they visit our stores, and to further support our colleagues to make more environmentally-friendly choices.”
In a related news, Alphabet (GB) Limited announced a new partnership with NewMotion to provide charge points for Alphabet drivers and customers both at home and in the workplace. The NewMotion solution includes the whole process from consulting and installation to operation of the charge points, back-office management and 24/7 support. All of Alphabet’s 168,000 customers, new and existing, can experience a complete smart charging package for efficient and carefree charging.
The new high-quality smart home chargers will be available to all Alphabet customers at an introductory price of £359, reduced from £549, for the first 90 days – this includes those who already own a plug-in vehicle or are looking to order one. NewMotion are also able to provide solutions and expert advice for employers interested in installing charge points at their place of work.
With NewMotion as a partner, Alphabet customers will have access to over 2,500 public charge points across the UK, including over 800 rapid charge points, for a seamless charging experience while on-the-go, accessed through the NewMotion charge card and app. The electric vehicle (EV) charging app allows drivers to receive real time insight on charge tariffs, charge speeds and availability of public charge points, as well as information on the estimated range increase or time to get to a target charge level. The EV charge cards provide fleet managers with one invoice for all power consumption and real time management of the charging sessions, making billing and automatic reimbursement for employees quick and easy.
Access to charging infrastructure is key
In Europe, the average EV adoption rate was 6.5% in the first quarter of this year. Also the UK registered an adoption rate of 6% in January 2020, in line with the European average which suggests the tide is starting to turn in favour of EVs.
Access to good charging infrastructure is key for drivers when making the switch to electric, a concern held by 45% of drivers according to recent research by NewMotion. While the amount of EVs on the road is rising – but especially in anticipation of removing diesel and petrol cars from the UK roads by 2035 – it’s necessary to have more and easy access to charging infrastructure, for instance at semi-public sites like supermarkets, which are important parking locations for EV drivers for on-the-go charging.
NewMotion has 10 years’ experience of working with businesses to provide bespoke EV charging solutions and has worked collaboratively with Aldi to develop its EV charging strategy and ensure a seamless installation experience. And, following the delivery and implementation of hardware and accessories, Aldi will be supported by 24/7 dedicated account management from NewMotion’s experienced specialist team.
Aldi will also be able to use NewMotion’s new online platform Business Hub to monitor, analyse and control all aspects of its charging infrastructure. As well as remote access management, tariff setting, cost allocation and a host of other smart charging features, NewMotion’s Business Hub offers businesses real-time data and insights on costs of EV fleets and charging infrastructure.
