National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) said on Saturday it is installing more than 182 new electric vehicle (EV) charging bays across its UK sites as part of a £13 million investment aimed at decarbonising its operational fleet.
The new high-powered DC units will be deployed at NGED substations and offices throughout the Midlands, South Wales, and South West England. With this expansion, the utility will operate a total of 444 charging bays, making it one of the largest privately owned EV charging networks in the country.
The initiative is part of NGED’s broader plan to support its 1,000-strong EV fleet, which includes about 400 commercial vans and 600 cars. The company said the charging locations were selected based on its most heavily travelled routes to ensure operational efficiency. Each site will be integrated with an internal app to help staff find available chargers, with a goal to keep every operational employee within 10 miles of a functioning charger.
“We’re committed to providing a strategically located charging infrastructure to enable us to grow our decarbonised fleet, while at the same time maintaining an excellent standard of service to our 20 million customers,” said Ian Smith, NGED’s head of operations support. “Using substations as charging locations makes logistical and financial sense as a way of expanding our network for NGED EV drivers, who are out and about seven days a week and often operating in severe weather.”
The distribution network operator said the rollout supports its long-term strategy to reduce emissions and improve service reliability through electrification, in line with the UK’s broader climate targets.
Source: greenfleet.net, current-news.co.uk
