Mer enters Britain’s electric vehicle charging market

Mer - part of Norwegian renewable energy giant Statkraft - has launched into the UK’s EV charging market and will be focused on getting charging stations into "underserved, but high footfall areas", such as businesses, organisations, key retail locations and residential streets.

Mer has run similar programmes in Norway, where last year more than half of new car sales (54%) were electric.

Commenting on the launch, Mer UK Managing Director Anthony Hinde, said: “The UK Government has set ambitious targets for the switch to zero-emission vehicles, especially with the announcement of the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars.”

“This target is absolutely achievable, but it will require a fundamental shift in how the UK’s EV charging infrastructure is developed. Home and on-the-road chargers remain fundamental aspects of the UK’s EV charging network, but if we just focus on that, we won’t succeed.

“The lessons we have learned from Norway - where the majority of new car sales are now electric - is that installing EV chargers into workplaces and more broadly into community locations, and switching fleet vehicles to electric, will be a critical element to the success of the green-vehicle transition.”

Mer believes the drive to put more chargers into workplaces is crucial, because with salary sacrifice schemes and other incentives meaning that more and more company vehicles and fleets are switching to electric, not everyone is in the position to install a personal charging point at their home.

Workplace chargers help solve both these problems - allowing people to recharge their batteries while their car sits in the car park during work hours. For employers, being able to offer this charging facility as an added incentive for recruitment or retention is a bonus as well as demonstrating their commitment to sustainability.

Mer - formerly known as Gronn Kontakt UK - also works with organisations like local councils to enable on-street charging in underserved areas. For example, Mer is part of the Scaling On-Street Charging Infrastructure Project (SOSCI) in the North of England - where the aim is to put on-street chargers within five-mins walk of communities where off-street parking isn't an option.

Mer, which sources all its energy from 100% renewable and traceable sources, is already working with several local authorities across the UK, as well as blue-chip firms, delivery fleets and recently forged a partnership with one of the UK’s biggest motoring associations to offer customer support 24/7.