JLR Now Boasts UK’s Largest Smart Charging Facility For EVs

Jaguar Land Rover has fitted its Gaydon engineering center with no fewer than 166 smart charging outlets for electric vehicles. These outlets are to be used mostly by employees, as research shows that 40% of EV charging in Europe takes place at work.

Charging points will also be installed in the visitors car park, offering guests access to convenient fast charging. Right now, this smart charging network is believed to be the largest of its kind in the UK.

These NewMotion-supplied 7kW AC smart charging stations are said to add 22 miles (35 km) of range to the all-electric Jaguar I-PACE every hour, and 176 miles (283 km) in total during an eight-hour day. All the stations are cloud-connected, so employees can charge either their PHEV or BEV at stations across Europe using a single card. They can also monitor and track the charging via a smartphone app.

“Every new Jaguar and Land Rover model line will be electrified from 2020, giving our customers even more choice. We have already introduced a portfolio of electrified products across our model ranges, including fully electric (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and mild hybrid (MHEV) vehicles. The Jaguar I-PACE, Jaguar’s first premium battery electric vehicle, arrived in showrooms in March 2018 and has since won 55 international awards including European Car of the Year 2019. We hope that by providing a network of electric charging points to staff and visitors at our Gaydon engineering centre we can help encourage the uptake of alternative fuels amongst our employees,” said JLR’s head of e-Mobility, Mick Cameron.

“It’s all part of our commitment to acting more sustainably – our UK facilities are already powered by 100 per cent renewable electricity and we believe the new charging points will help our employees to tread lightly on their daily commute.”

Right now, 75% of EV users are unable to charge their cars at work in the UK, as per Zap Map. Aside from the 166 smart charging spaces at the Gaydon facility, JLR will go on to install more chargers at additional UK sites.