Greene King to install charging points for electric vehicles at 900 pubs across UK

Almost a thousand new charging points to be rolled out at pubs by the end of 2020, company says

One for the road? Charging points for electric vehicles are to be rolled out at hundreds of Greene King pubs (Greene King)

Brewery and pub company Greene King is to install charging points for electric vehicles across all of its suitable pubs as the UK approaches the deadline for the sale of new petrol and diesel cars.

The company has a portfolio of 2,700 managed and tenanted pubs, and the first phase of the roll out will see charging stations installed at 900 premises by the end of 2020.

The government has said the current ban on selling petrol, diesel and hybrid cars, which was due to come into force in 2040, will be brought forward to 2035 “at the latest”, in order to help the country hit its legally binding net zero emissions target for 2050.

Once the ban comes into force, manufacturers will only be able to sell new electric or hydrogen powered vehicles in the UK.

Greene King said “demand for EV charging points in places such as pubs and hotels is set to grow significantly.”

The company has signed an agreement with firms Raw Charging and Drive Energi to install the charging points. The first one was made available to customers earlier this month at The Churchill, in Royal Wootton Bassett.

Tony Hodgson, head of estates at Greene King, said: “We’ve been working hard developing our sustainability plans as we continue to build a greener business.

“With more people buying electric cars in a bid to be more environmentally friendly, we want to support our customers who come to dine or stay with us by offering electric charging ports in our pubs that are able to do so.”

Bruce Galliford, chief executive of RAW Charging, said: “In committing to host our reliable, easy-to-use, and fully contactless-payment enabled EV charging points, Greene King and its portfolio of prestigious pubs and hotels remain anchored at the heart of the local communities in which people live and work, by providing a crucial EV charging service 24 hours a day.”