German budget supermarket chain Lidl has reached its 100th EV rapid charger milestone in the UK as it continues a partnership with charging infrastructure provider Pod Point.
The partnership aims to install 350 rapid chargers at Lidl UK stores by 2022 and on 10 February connected its hundredth at the Hayes Uxbridge Road store in Hillingdon, West London.
Lidl said it had rapid chargers at 100 sites across the country that provided 1.1 million kWh of energy to its customers’ EVs in 2020 â enough energy to drive 4.4 million electric miles.
Furthermore, it estimated that EV drivers using Lidl chargepoints had saved over 1.77 million kg of CO2 since the first installations went live, equivalent to removing 920 diesel cars off the road.
Alan Barry, chief development officer for Lidl GB, said: âWe 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.â
So far Lidl has invested over £25m in its EV charging infrastructure as part of its commitment to address range anxiety, accelerate the transition to EVs and help customers to lead more sustainable lives.
Lidl customers can now charge their EVs with up to 80% capacity in 50 minutes. The retailer claimed that it continues to be the cheapest national supermarket chain for pay-as-you-go rapid charging, at 23p/kWh.
Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point CEO, added: âWhen 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.
âCurrently 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.â
