VW rolling out 2,400 Pod Point electric car charger points at TESCO

Volkswagen, Pod Point and Tesco are rolling out the UK’s largest retail network of electric car charging points in the UK, with 2,400 planned by 2020.

Volkswagen’s road to redemption after the Dieselgate shenanigans lies in its massive push to electrify its cars, and it’s teamed up with Tesco – the UK’s largest petrol retailer – to deliver 2,400 electric car charging points at 600 Tesco stores across the UK, powered by Pod Point, as a mark of its intent.

Sites for the Tesco EV charging points will include both Tesco Express and Superstore sites, with both 7kW and 50kW chargers available, with free charging for the 7kW and a market rate cost for the 50kW.

VW may only have the e-Golf and e-Up! EVs at the moment, but next year order books open for the ID Hatch – an EV similar in size to the Golf – and by 2020 the production versions of the ID Buzz and ID Crozz will arrive, by which time the charging network at Tesco will be complete.

Geraldine Ingham, VW’s Head of Marketing in the UK, said:

This incredibly exciting partnership with Tesco, powered by Pod Point, underlines the scale and ambition of our electric car programme in the UK.

“Working with these partners to provide such an extensive network of EV chargers should leave no one in any doubt about the Volkswagen brand’s wholehearted commitment to an electric future.

Tesco and Pod Point seem equally chuffed with their project, with Tesco declaring it wants to be “the leading electrical vehicle energy provider in the UK”, and Pod Point pointing out this single project will increase the number of public charging points in the UK by 14%.