Severn Trent rolls out 350 electric vehicle charging point at UK facilities

The UK's second-biggest water company, Severn Trent, is installing more than 350 electric vehicle (EV) charge points across its sites, as part of its commitment to covert 100% of its transport fleet to electric by 2030.


Severn Trent rolls out 350 electric vehicle charging point at UK facilities

EVBox will provide online training to Seven Trent’s installation partners on how to use the charge points

Last month, Severn Trent announced that it had joined the Climate Group’s EV100 initiative, pledging to convert 100% of its transport fleet to EVs by 2030. Severn Trent, which serves 4.4 million homes and business customers in England and Wales, will seek to convert its fleet of more than 2,000 vehicles to EVs by 2030.

Severn Trent has now instructed charging firm EVBox to provide 352 of its BusinessLine charging points, to be installed at the water company’s operational sites, offices, and transport workshops throughout the Midlands.

EVBox will provide online training to Seven Trent’s installation partners on how to use the charge points. EVBox is one of the few charging firms that can offer both AC and DC charging solutions, and was the first company to offer OCPP-certified (Open Charge Point Protocol) charging solutions.

“This partnership with EVBox, who will supply over 300 electric vehicle charging points across our sites, is a major milestone in our bid to have a fleet of vehicles that are entirely electric by 2030,” Severn Trent’s commercial director Helen Miles said.

“We’re delighted to have EVBox onboard with us for this exciting journey. They’re experts in their industry and we’ll no doubt benefit from all of their experience and passion for delivering cleaner and greener ways to travel.”

Carbon-neutral travel

The Department for Transport (DfT) has identified a lack of charging infrastructure as one of the three biggest barriers to EV adoption in the UK, along with distance travelled per charge and vehicle cost. 

Similarly, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (Bloomberg NEF) predicts that EVs will account for more than half of new car sales by 2040, but that the pace of the shift away from petrol and diesel could be hindered by far slower investment growth in infrastructure.

Severn Trent has pledged to deliver net-zero carbon emissions for its operations by 2030 and generate 100% of its energy needs from renewables in the same timeframe as part of a Triple Carbon Pledge.

In August, the UK’s nine major water and sewerage providers, including Yorkshire Water, Anglian Water and United Utilities committed to planting 11 million trees in order to improve the natural environment across 6,000 hectares of English land as part on an overarching ambition to become a carbon-neutral sector by 2030.

Matt Mace

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe