Greene King, the leading pub company and brewer, has unveiled its first super-fast electric vehicle (EV) charging facility at the Hobby Horse Farm pub in Syston, Leicestershire.
The ultra-rapid hub is capable of charging eight vehicles simultaneously at speeds of up to 150kW – twice the speed of many EV charging units – so drivers can recharge their vehicle in as little as 30 minutes.
Introducing EV charging facilities is part of Greene King’s wider strategy, which includes improving operations to reduce environmental impact and also helping customers make more sustainable choices. Greene King now has over 1,200 EV charging bays located at pubs and support centres across the country, adding valuable EV charging facilities to local communities. There are an additional 166 EV bays awaiting connection plus between 75 and 100 new EV charging locations with 300 bays expected to be added in 2024.
Nick Elliot, group property director of Greene King said: “With the continuing demand for electric vehicles, the need for charging points nationwide is increasing. With more than 2,000 pubs across the country, we are well-placed to roll out a charging network across England, Scotland and Wales, particularly in hard-to-reach rural communities, and areas where having a home charger may not be possible.
“We are pleased to have our first ultra-fast hub up and running and it just demonstrates how pubs are important assets to their communities in so many ways.
“We are working in partnership with others to help people make more sustainable choices as we all work to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.”
General manager at Hobby Horse Farm, Gary Dyson-Huff added, “We are in a great location and we now have even more to offer our pub customers, our regulars and those passing by, and we look forward to welcoming them in for refreshments while they charge their car.”
To date, evyve has added 400 rapid charging stations at Greene King pubs nationwide. As part of the evyve network, the chargers support contactless payment and are accessible through various roaming partnerships, including Allstar Fuel Cards, Shell Recharge, Plugsurfing, Octopus Electroverse, and Zap-Pay, among others. Alternatively, drivers can download the evyve app to manage and pay for their charging sessions.
