Electric vehicle (EV) chargers are to be installed at ten retail sites owned by real estate group Brookhouse in a new partnership with Engenie.
The rollout will see 17 rapid chargers installed across the sites, with seven sites hosting 13 rapids already open to the public. A further four chargers across three sites are to open this year.
The duo are lauding the partnership as “the largest of its kind”, with chargers going into sites with brands such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Argos, Next, Aldi and M&S.
Engenie is to cover all installation and servicing costs, a move which it said eliminated the financial risk for Brookhouse.
Each of its chargers are supplied with 100% renewable energy, and each can be accessed without membership or subscription due to the chargers operating on a contactless payment method.
Patrick Sherriff, business development director at Engenie, said the partnership was “further proliferating easy-to-use charging infrastructure” that allows customers to top up while they shop “with the simple tap of a smartphone or contactless card.”
“By ‘grabbing the grid’ and securing vital connections for rapid EV chargers before its competitors, Brookhouse is staying ahead of the curve, and positioning its sites as the go-to shopping destinations for EV drivers,” he added.
The partnership marks Engenie’s latest foray into the retail sector, having made previous announcements with Reef, M7 and Northumberland Estates.
It also unveiled a partnership with Marstons in 2018 to rollout rapid chargers at its sites.
In March, it revealed its partnership with Good Energy to offer rapid charging to businesses, building upon Good Energy’s other electric vehicle charging offerings such as its own One Point arm.
Engenie is planning to install 2,000 chargers by 2024, a rollout which is being financed by a £35 million investment commitment from European infrastructure fund Cube Infrastructure Fund II.