How will leisure, retail and hospitality businesses benefit from installing EV charge points?

Latest figures show there are around 300,000 electric vehicles (BEVs) on the UK roads, and more than 600,000 plug-in models including PHEVs. The number of EVs on the road continues to rise at pace, and unlike their ICE counterparts, growth has been unaffected by the pandemic.  

It is forecast that by 2025 electric vehicle sales could overtake petrol and diesel, with EVs accounting for some 10% of all vehicles on British roads. What does this mean for businesses within the leisure, retail and hospitality sectors?  

Destination EV Charging Destination charging attracts more visitors

It is often argued that offering public EV charge points, or destination charging, is a way of attracting affluent visitors. Because the first wave of electric vehicles have been relatively expensive, they tend to be driven by people likely to spend a little more, stop longer or purchase upgrades. But the EV market is developing rapidly, and electric vehicles are becoming affordable for everyone. So providing a high quality charging facility is about to become a mandatory feature, and people will simply avoid destinations that don’t provide it.  

Charge point density makes local areas more attractive

It’s not just about individual businesses. Local areas where more hotels, leisure destinations and shopping centres offer public charging facilities will make the whole area more attractive. Visiting EV drivers always check charging maps, and they know that a high density of public chargers makes for a stress-free trip. Therefore, destination charging boosts the wider local economy.  

Is your brand part of the future or stuck in the past?

Look beyond the revenue potential of EV charging, and you’ll see that your brand will be defined by how it responds to the EV revolution. It’s similar to the way bricks-and-mortar retailers responded to the e-commerce revolution. The high street brands we see today are the ones who saw the opportunity and recognised the urgency. Most of those who didn’t are long gone. Don’t leave it too late to be part of the EV future, and show your increasingly climate-aware customers that you are taking concrete action on sustainability.  

Zest public EV charging: fully funded, fully managed solutions

Backed by the government’s Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund (CIIF), Zest offers opportunities for fully funded solutions, for publicly accessible EV charge points. We manage everything, from design and deployment to service and maintenance. Zest removes the complicated administration and management for landowners and provides a premium experience for users.

Get in touch today at hello@zest.uk.com