Tesco Ireland and ESB Smart Eenrgy Services have announced the rollout of dual outlet EV chargers at 52 of its store carparks spanning 18 counties nationwide.
The new EV charging sites will allow Tesco customers to charge their EVs while shopping.
Under the partnership ESB will supply, install and operate the charge points. The 18-county roll out will commence in early 2020 with completion expected by the autumn.
The new ESB 22kW dual chargers can provide charging capacity to two vehicles simultaneously and up to 145km (90 miles) of driving range in 60 minutes.
All 52 chargers will be included on ESB’s nationwide charge point map to help customers find their closest charging point and allow customers to start and stop transactions using the ESB app.
According to ESB, there are currently over 15,000 EVs on Irish roads, with 4,755 of these registered to date in 2019, representing an increase of 142% on 2018 figures.
The company added that it is expected that sales will at least double in 2020 bolstered by the fact that the biggest selling EVs now have a driving range of 400 to 500km (250 to 310 miles).
Kari Daniels, CEO, Tesco Ireland: “At Tesco we recognise that a growing number of our customers who visit our stores are using electric vehicles.
“With all our electricity already coming from renewable sources across our network we want to support our customers with convenience-based charging.
“Partnering with ESB installing these charging sites nationwide will help the government’s Climate Action Plan and our aim as a business to become a zero-carbon retailer by 2050.”
Since 2017, Tesco Ireland has sourced all its electricity needs from renewable sources.
This is part of the supermarket’s energy-management strategy, a wider initiative that has reportedly reduced Tesco’s electricity consumption by 24% over the past five years.
What’s more, since 2013, Tesco claims it has seen its electricity demand reduce by over 45,000,000kwh annually, the equivalent in electricity to power over 2,400 homes annually.
The energy usage measures that have been undertaken include lighting upgrades across stores including back-of-house areas.
