Friday 12 November 2010
Waitrose fits electric car charging points
Supermarket chain Waitrose has introduced electric vehicle charging points at one of its newest stores.
The York branch opened last month and was been picked to be the group's first store in the UK to have charging points in its car park.
Chargemaster, a UK's provider of charging stations, fitted DualCharge posts at York, which is Waitrose's flagship store for carbon cutting initiatives. It uses HFC-free fridges and will also employs cold air retrieval as an alternative to air-conditioning.
Waitrose concessions manager Don Finn said: "The rise in electric vehicle ownership is something we cannot ignore. We want to ensure that we not only provide valuable services to our customers by installing the charging points, but that we look at ways to reduce carbon emissions and pollution that benefit the whole community."
Waitrose will be measuring electricity consumed through the charging points using Chargemaster's management and reporting system - Chargevision. This will be evaluated against cost and overall carbon emissions from power supply. If proven to benefit the customer, the environment and the company's carbon footprint, electric charging stations will be rolled out across other stores.
Chargemaster chief executive David Martell said: "Our team has worked closely with the retailer to ensure that we provide the latest technology and a sophisticated management reporting system that truly supports its requirements. We are confident providing the charging facilities for electric vehicle owners will be beneficial to Waitrose and its customers and that our partnership will continue to develop."
Earlier this week, Waitrose owner John Lewis revealed it is to test biomass technology at the supermarket on the Isle of Wight.
If successful, the combined heat and cooling system will be rolled out across 14 John Lewis stores and 115 Waitrose branches - an unprecedented use of biomass in the retail sector.
"This will allow us to cut carbon emissions by up to 60% at every store where we install a plant", said Steve Isaia, head of engineering at the John Lewis Partnership. "We are reviewing all our store portfolio to see where it will be possible to install the plants."
