Tesco is dropping free electric vehicle (EV) charging points as it begins to charge drivers a set fee for using the charging points at all of its stores from today.
According to the UK’s leading supermarket, EV drivers have enjoyed more than 86 million miles of free electric driving from its charging stations.
The retailer first announced a range of free charging points at 100 of its Tesco stores in 2019. It was subsequently expanded to 500 stores in March 2022.
EV drivers will now have to pay 28p/kWh for 7kW connections, which is the smallest power offering and therefore the slowest to charge. For faster chargers, that price rises to 40p for the 22kW, and 50p for the 50kW rapid chargers.
Currently, only the 50kW DC chargers have a cost, at 28p/kWh. However, all charging docks offered by Tesco now require a fee.
The network was originally launched by Tesco in collaboration with Volkswagen and EV charging station provider Pod Point, with plans to install around 2,400 charge points.
Payment will be made through the Podpoint app for the AC chargers or by contactless for the 50kW rapid points.
Income from the new fees will help “fund and expand the network,” with PodPoint expected to meet its target of installing charging at 600 Tesco stores by spring 2023.
In a statement, PodPoint said: “The new tariffs are some of the most competitive in the market and will enable us to continue investing in our network.
“It’s hoped that by making these changes customers will only top up when they need to, ensuring that they make way for others once their cars are charged.”
