Chargemaster and Q-Park collaborate for electric vehicle charging point development

In the agreement Chargemaster will take responsibility for operating and maintaining all 124 electric vehicle (EV) charging points across Q-Park’s London facilities

Chargemaster, operator of the largest electric vehicle charging network in the UK, has
announced that it will work with parking company Q-Park to meet the increasing demand of charging points.

In the agreement Chargemaster will take responsibility for operating and maintaining all 124 electric vehicle (EV) charging points across Q-Park’s London facilities from 1 August 2016 onwards. The charging points will become part of a POLAR public charging network comprised of more than 4,000 charging points across the UK boasting a serviceability record that exceeds 98%.

Under the new partnership, chargers at Q-Park’s sites across London will be upgraded to the latest specification units and fully maintained by Chargemaster. The company also plans to install additional charging points in the coming months to keep pace with demand from a growing number of EV owners and Q-Park customers.

In the last three years, there has been a remarkable increase in demand for electric vehicles in London and across the UK. The number of plug-in cars on UK roads increased from less than 7,000 in 2013 to more than 66,000 in the first half of July 2016. According to predictions by the AA, there will be more than 500,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in use by 2020.

To meet this increased demand, Q-Park’s new partnership with Chargemaster will ensure charging points are maintained to the highest standard, with additional and updated charging points installed as required.

David Martell, Chargemaster chief executive, said: “Today’s growing number of EV owners in major cities and across the UK expect to find an available, fully functioning, charging point wherever they park. This is something that we believe is paramount to the sustained uptake of EVs, so we are glad that Q-Park customers will now be able to take advantage of the latest charging technology, and Chargemaster’s market-leading reliability rate of more than 98%.”

Adam Bidder, managing director of Q-Park UK and Ireland said: “We have always been keen to encourage EV motoring in London, and have invested significantly to build a network of 124 charging points across our 20 sites. Our new partnership with Chargemaster allows us to offer customers a higher level of reliability, and to further expand our network in the future.”