Sustainable energy pioneer and charge point operator GRIDSERVE has announced it is partnering with Dobbies, the UK’s leading garden centre retailer, to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers at stores nationwide. The move aims to provide Dobbies’ shoppers, commuters and local residents with easy access to affordable and fast EV charging.
The partnership, the first between GRIDSERVE and a major garden centre retailer, will initially see 30 ‘Destination Electric Hubs’ installed in Dobbies’ car parks across the UK, from Aberdeen to Ashford. Each site will have up to 12 charging devices, with connectors that support all types of electric vehicles.
The charging devices will accept contactless payment, provide real-time usage updates to Zap-Map, and will be powered exclusively by net zero carbon energy. They will also adopt GRIDSERVE’s standard nationwide pricing, making it considerably cheaper to re-charge an EV than fill an equivalent vehicle with petrol or diesel.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Dobbies on this category-first collaboration. Not only do Dobbies share our long-term commitment to sustainability, their support will help raise both the viability and visibility of electric vehicles and EV charging to new audiences,” said Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE.
“To protect the environment and address climate change the Government has committed to banning the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles in only eight years, and this has helped put EV sales on an exponential growth trajectory. Our partnership with Dobbies will support the uptake of EVs further, and deliver many fantastic new charging locations for EV drivers across the UK.”
The rollout begins in spring 2022 and complements the rapidly expanding GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, voted 2021’s ‘EV Charging Network Operator of the Year’ at the Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellence (EVIE) Awards. The network also came joint fifth in Zap-Map users’ latest EV charge point network rankings.
“As we build on the #SustainableDobbies journey, the partnership with GRIDSERVE demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing our customers with environmentally-friendly solutions,” said Graeme Jenkins, CEO at Dobbies.
“We are proud to be the first garden centre retailer to work with this forward-thinking and innovative company and we look forward to welcoming electric vehicle drivers as we roll out this service across the UK throughout 2022.”
