Shell Recharge to add 800 EV chargers at Waitrose shops

Shell Recharge is to add 800 electric car chargers at 100 Waitrose supermarkets by 2025, with both 22kW and 50kW charging.

We all know, or are being told, that the UK needs millions of charging points for EVs if we’re going to see electric cars as a viable option for motorists as we count down the end of new ICE cars in the UK by 2030. Even though we only have around 8,000 petrol stations to fuel our ICE cars.

Of course, the problem with EVs is the time it takes to charge batteries, although as we see more cars with 800v charging ability, and charging stations like Gridserve and Ionity delivering properly quick charging, the wait time for EVs charging is probably going to average around 30 minutes before too long. 

But one advantage of EV charging points is that they can spring up almost anywhere, and although we don’t need ‘millions’ of charging points, ‘Destination charging points – where you can splash and dash your EV whilst doing something else – are a sensible route to go.

To that end, Shell Recharge has teamed up with Waitrose to roll out 800 new charging points across 100 Waitrose stores by 2025, with each site to get half a dozen 22kW chargers and two 50kW chargers. Although we wonder if that’s the right way round?

Park up in a Waitrose car park and you will see a significant smattering of EVs, but they’re likely to be Teslas and Porsches, rather than Zoes or LEAFs. And even if you spend an hour shopping that’s not going to go too far to topping up your Porsche or Tesla battery. Still, we’re sure Waitrose and Shell know best.

Waitrose Director, James Bailey, said:

This is an important partnership for Waitrose and means we can offer even greater convenience to more of our customers. We’re also delighted to bring our customers 800 new charging points for electric vehicles, including new rapid charging capabilities, as the UK moves more and more towards a sustainable transport network.