Asda owner EG Group has acquired Tesla’s latest ultra-fast charging units to expand its rapidly growing electric vehicle (EV) point business.
Branded ‘evpoint’, the new hardware will operate on an open network basis, allowing all drivers to access the evpoint chargers, regardless of their brand of vehicles.
Tesla senior director of charging infrastructure Rebecca Tinucci said: “The rapid installation of reliable, easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future and a key area of focus for us at Tesla.”
Due to be rolled out before the end of the year, the chargers also support Plus and Charge protocol, which simplifies and automates payments.
EG Group Co-CEO and founder Zuber Issa CBE said: “Securing this best-in-class equipment from Tesla marks another milestone for evpoint and is hugely exciting for us.”
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“It is the first deal of its kind entered into by Tesla with a third-party charge point operator in Europe and will transform how our customers charge their vehicles and how they interact with EG.
“Since installing our first EV charger back in 2012, EG Group has continued to invest in the technology. This deal will accelerate the delivery of vital charging infrastructure for motorists to help power the transition to Net Zero.”
EG Group chief strategy and business officer Imraan Patel: “Our aim is to deliver a three-pronged strategy to help us reach our energy transition goals.
“These include EV charging, supporting alternative forms of vehicular fuel, and broader carbon reduction, all of which are central to our strategy of helping the world transition to a lower carbon future.
“We have made significant progress to date on EV charging, with more than 600 chargers across 189 sites already deployed and a pipeline prepared with an ambition for evpoint to roll out more than 20,000 chargers across c.3,600 of our own sites over time with opportunities across third party locations also being pursued.”
The new technology follows in the wake of Asda acquiring EG UK and Ireland for £2.27 billion earlier this year.
