The purchase is expected to help the British petrol station operator roll out its electric vehicle (EV) charging network across Europe and the UK.
EG Group has announced its plans to acquire Tesla’s ultra-fast EV charging units, with a view to expand its charging network from over 600 EV chargers to more than 20,000.
The business is owned by the billionaire brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa, who also own UK supermarket Asda.
The company plans to use Tesla’s industry-leading technology for its new charge points, which will be branded ‘evpoint’ and supplied by 100 per cent renewable energy. However, the hardware will operate on an open network basis to allow drivers of any EV brand to access the chargers.
“The rapid installation of reliable, easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future,” said Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s senior director of charging infrastructure.
EG’s evpoint is one of Europe’s fastest-growing EV charging networks, with access to more than 3,500 roadside retail sites across Europe and the UK. To date, the company has installed over 600 chargers across 189 sites.
EG Group installed its first charger at a site next to London’s Heathrow Airport in 2012. More recently, the company opened a flagship site at Frontier Park in Blackburn in August 2022, which is home to six ultrafast chargers.
“Securing this best-in-class equipment from Tesla marks another milestone for evpoint and is hugely exciting for us,” said Zuber Issa, founder and co-CEO of EG Group. “It is the first deal of its kind entered into by Tesla with a third-party charge point operator in Europe, and will transform how our customers charge their vehicles and interact with EG.
“This deal will accelerate the delivery of vital charging infrastructure for motorists to help power the transition to net zero.”
There are currently fewer than 43,000 public chargepoints in the UK. A study from 2021 found that the installation of chargers needs to increase by five times the current rate to replace petrol cars by the end of the decade.
In October, the UK installed its 50,000 EV charging point, according to chargepoint mapping service Zapmap. The news was celebrated as a huge milestone in the country’s target of installing 300,000 chargepoints by 2030.
The agreement is the first deal of its type Tesla has signed in Europe. However, the company added its fast-charging hardware will also be available for purchase by “other leaders” in the space.
The first of the new evpoint charger units are expected to be rolled out before the end of the year. In September, the UK’s largest EV charging hub opened in Birmingham.
