Monday 31 October 2022
BMW partners with National Parks UK to plug in EV chargers
BMW has announced a new partnership with National Parks UK to roll out charging points for electric vehicles (EVs) at 15 National Parks.
Called Recharge in Nature, the partnership will help make the National Parks more accessible for EVs drivers as well as support nature restoration, biodiversity, sustainability and well-being projects.
BMW UK will install Pod Point recharging posts at key locations across the 15 National Parks in the UK as they are visited more than 100 million times a year, with 90% of these visits made via cars.
The Lake District National Park is the first location where the installation of recharging posts has already begun.
Richard Leafe, CEO, Lake District National Park said: “In the Lake District, we are aiming to be a net zero National Park by 2037 and one of the best ways to achieve this is by reducing carbon emissions from visitor travel.
“Our partnership with BMW is a significant step towards this, giving visitors and communities a wider choice of sustainable travel options, meaning we can all play a part in continuing to protect and enhance this special place.”
Over the next three years, BMW UK will also work with National Parks UK to support locally delivered initiatives, focused on enabling more sustainable tourism, nature restoration and biodiversity through the Recharge in Nature Fund.
The first grant will support the restoration of dew ponds in the South Downs National Park, followed by supporting projects within Snowdonia, Dartmoor and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs in 2023.
Chris Brownridge, CEO, BMW UK added: “Sustainability is at the heart of our business and enhancing the EV recharging network in the UK’s National Parks will help to make these favourite destinations more accessible for the increasing numbers of drivers who choose an electric car, as well as to support local communities in their shift to the new technology.
“With biodiversity and the health of UK nature more important than ever before, we are also pleased to support a range of local projects within the Parks to help preserve these precious landscapes for the future.”
BMW previously set a target to at leave halve the CO2 emissions per vehicle by 2030, from 2019 levels.
