Wesleyan Assurance, the Birmingham-based mutual, and Be.EV are teaming up to install a 16-bay ultra-rapid EV charging hub in Wednesbury.
Shoppers at the Gallagher Shopping Park will benefit from charging at the hub, which will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub in the Black Country.
The site, which will be launched in November 2024, will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub on any retail park in this part of the West Midlands conurbation.
Gallagher Retail Park is located just off J9 of the M6 - one of the UK’s busiest motorway junctions - with an average daily traffic flow of over 140,000 vehicles.
Be.EV specialises in delivering ultra-rapid charging hubs that can charge a typical EV battery from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes. The hub will appeal to thousands of EV drivers looking for a quick charge and comfort break on long journeys, as well as shoppers and the local community.
Wesleyan is a Birmingham-based UK mutual with £7.6bn of assets under management, including a UK commercial property portfolio worth approximately £450m. The partnership with Be.EV is the first the mutual has undertaken to install EV charging at one of its existing sites and reflects its commitment to innovation and sustainability.
“Wesleyan is a long-established mutual with over 180 years of history. We are delighted that they’ve chosen us to install state-of-the-art EV charging infrastructure at this key site," said Asif Ghafoor, Be.EV CEO.
" It forms a core part of our strategy, as we look to expand on our market-leading position in the North West and create a national portfolio.
“We have extensive experience installing and maintaining chargers at retail parks in and around Greater Manchester, which not only serve the local community but also boost retailer income through increased footfall.
"We’re confident we’ll be able to do the same at Wednesbury and hopefully this partnership will lead to development of more EV hubs for Wesleyan in the UK.
“Our aim is to provide the best customer experience possible when charging, and we can’t wait to do this with such a respected real estate investor at what will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub in the region.”
Wesleyan Assurance and Be.EV are teaming up to install a 16-bay ultra-rapid EV charging hub in Wednesbury.
“When we bought the retail unit in 2023, we had a vision from the start to enhance it by offering add-on sustainable and beneficial amenities for all who visit, and we very much had in mind the fact it was so close to a busy motorway network," said Mitchell Spencer, Property Asset Manager at Wesleyan.
“The addition of the EV charging facility will no doubt be a welcome pit stop for electric car drivers visiting the retail park, and more importantly, supports the electric car movement across the UK.”
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.
And, 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.
