According to data released by Zap-Map and the RAC, the number of electric vehicle EV charge points at British Supermarkets has doubled in just the last two years. 6.5% of all public EV charge points in the UK are now located at supermarkets.
The RAC and Zap-Map have both long advocated the importance of EV charge point infrastructure at supermarkets. This is as most British shoppers spend on average 45 minutes in supermarkets, each visit, which is a reasonable amount of time to top up an electric car.
The released data shows that at the end of December 2019 there were 1,115 supermarket EV charge points in the UK. That is more than double the number at the end of October 2017, when there were only 542 supermarket EV charge points.
Current Supermarket EV Charge Points
| Supermarket | Charging points (Dec 2019) |
| 1. Tesco | 281 |
| 2. Asda | 228 |
| 3. Morrisons | 143 |
| 4. Co-op | 88 |
| 5. Lidl | 76 |
| 6. Aldi | 72 |
| 7. Sainsbury’s | 27 |
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said:
“It is extremely positive to see the supermarkets making it easy for drivers to go electric. Having more chargers that are readily available will help to speed up the transition from petrol and diesel cars to electric ones.”
“We have always said that it makes sense for people to be able to charge at supermarkets because anyone doing a full shop will inevitably spend 45 minutes in store. The UK’s big four supermarkets currently dominate fuel retailing so it will be very interesting to see if a similar battle will develop in EV charging.”
“At the moment the emphasis seems to be very much on installing any form of charge point. It is our belief that as the EV market matures there will be less need for slower chargers and a greater need for higher-power ones. The introduction of more rapid chargers at supermarkets may even stimulate take-up now as it would make EVs viable for those who cannot charge at home because of where they live. Currently, it seems that rapids are very much in their infancy at supermarkets, but hopefully, this is all about to change.”
Melanie Shufflebotham, co-founder of Zap-Map, said:
“It is very encouraging to see supermarkets increasingly embracing electric vehicle charging at their stores with a dramatic shift in the number of chargers being installed over the course of the last two years.”
“Our research shows that while the majority of charging is done at home, most EV drivers use the public network more than once a month. While a robust rapid infrastructure across the country is essential for longer journeys, having charge points in supermarkets provides EV drivers an excellent way to ‘graze‘ energy while doing an everyday task.”
“With 89% of EV drivers taking the availability of charge points into account when selecting their parking, providing charging can be a real differentiator locally in the competitive supermarket sector. This seems to be recognised by some supermarkets, notably Tesco and Sainsbury’s, providing EV charging for free.”
Get in touch
If you own an electric vehicle and don’t have easy access to an EV charge point near your home or business, get in touch with us! Applegarth Engineering specialises in installing EV chargers for homeowners and businesses. We install EV charge points in Liverpool, Wirral, Cheshire, Manchester and North Wales. Call 0151 645 8350 or email our team on info@applegarth.co.uk.
