Pod Point has signed a preferred supplier agreement with investment firm Custodian REIT (real estate investment trust) to install EV chargepoints across the UK.
As per the agreement, Pod Point will install rapid EV chargers at 12 sites over 2022 and 2023. These will be installed with a view to Custodian retaining the EV charging firm to continue its charging rollout across future acquired assets.
The 12 sites, which will be open to both public and tenant use, will comprise of nine retail assets and three workplace locations. Each location will be installed with at least four rapid charging bays offering 75kW or 100kW speeds.
“Pod Point is playing an integral role in helping us achieve our ESG goals while also enabling us to futureproof our retail and industrial assets as we transition to an electric future,” said Richard Shepherd-Cross, managing director of Custodian Capital Limited, the company’s external fund manager.
“The provision of EV charging across our retail estates also significantly enhances the properties’ occupier appeal by increasing customer footfall and dwell time. We are well on track to rolling EV charging points out widely across our portfolio.”
The retail rollout will include the following nine sites:
- Gazelle Close, Reading
- Harbour Road, Portishead, Bristol
- Wellington Road Retail Park, Burton on Trent
- St Catherine’s Leisure Park, Perth
- Phoenix Leisure Park, Crewe
- Coypool Retail Park, Plymouth
- Duloch Park, Dunfermline
- Kew Retail Park, Southport
- Eastern Avenue Retail Park, Gloucester
Workplace charging is already available at: Willow Court, Oxford, Trafford Park, Manchester and Lochside Way, Edinburgh.
“ESG has become an imperative for many investors and we’re delighted to be working with Custodian REIT to help them achieve their ambitious goals in this area,” said Erik Fairbairn, CEO of Pod Point.
The number of EV chargers around the UK continues to increase. Earlier this month, EV charging mapping tool Zap-Map confirmed that 1,100 EV charging devices had been installed across the entirety of the UK in September.
According to statistics released by Zap-Map, there are now over 34,000 public charging devices in the UK, across nearly 21,000 charging locations. This represents a 35% increase in the total number of charging devices since September 2021.
Zap-Map also confirmed that there has been a 76% increase in the number of ultra-rapid devices across the country since September last year.
