Brewer and pub operator JW Lees has picked national charge point operator Be.EV to bring ultra-rapid EV charging to patrons in a £1.8m deal.
Be.EV is installing 22 ultra-rapid charging bays at seven locations across the North-West, with the existing charging infrastructure being upgraded at some sites.
JW Lees owns and operates more than 150 pubs across the North West and North Wales, and is now part of the North’s largest public EV charging network, following in the footsteps of household retailer brands such as Decathlon.
Charge points at The Urmston (Stretford), The Millgate (Failsworth), The Aviator (Stockport), The Bluebird Inn (Balderstone) and Duke of Gloucester (Crewe) are already switched on and available for public use.
These chargers will serve 12,500 local EV drivers across all these pubs, not including visiting drivers, who are increasingly looking for EV charging at places they’ll be visiting. Be.EV research shows that 78% of EV drivers say it is ‘essential’ or ‘important for charge points to be in convenient locations.
The Aviator in Stockport has been upgraded to six ultra-rapid bays, having previously consisted of four fast-charging bays which refill an EV battery in six to eight hours.
These new charging times are much better suited to visitors at JW Lees pubs, as they allow pub visitors to add up to 165 miles of range in a short 20-minute stop.
Be.EV charging at JW Lees, The Aviator
A further two pubs will have chargers installed in early 2025, with the Pointing Dog (Cheadle) and the Moss Trooper (Altrincham) all getting charging kits.
”Regional partnerships are a cornerstone to the regeneration of our local areas, and we’re proud to be partnering with such a well-established northern business," said Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV.
“Our charging hubs will offer JW Lees pub-goers a convenient moment to charge their car, and the chain is getting ahead of the curve by providing reliable, high-quality charging facilities for their customers so they can charge and drive responsibly.
“Some of the sites had charging technology that needed an upgrade. Fast chargers are already becoming outdated, and pub landlords need to consider upgrading their technology before they fall even further behind."
Thanks to a live data partnership between Zapmap and Be.EV, users of the Zapmap app and web map are able to view the live status and availability of all Be.EV charge points, making planning for charging even easier.
“As an EV driver myself for the last five years I know how important it is for drivers to have reliable, affordable and convenient EV chargers at pubs and at JW Lees we are working with Be.EV to make our pubs best in class in terms of EV provision," said William Lees-Jones, Managing Director at JW Lees.
Be.EV is one of the latest charge point operators to go live on Zap-Pay, the simple way to pay for EV charging across networks from Zapmap.
Zap-Pay uses a credit or debit card to pay for charging, and was launched with a mission to include all the key charge point networks across the UK. The payment solution avoids the hassle of using different payment methods across all the various charge point operators, providing a simple way to pay for EV charging across networks from within the familiar Zapmap app.
