IONITY, the leading high-power charging network in Europe, is helping retailers and landowners across the UK to bring in new loyal customers to their sites, generating additional sales from a new customer base of Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers and future proofing their business. Today, there are approximately 400,000 EVs on the road in the UK, and this figure is likely to reach eight to ten million by 2030. As EV driving increases, there is a rise in demand for charging stations that have convenient amenities. According to CACI, 68% of people who intend to own an EV will visit retailers and businesses more frequently if they provide the right charging facilities, highlighting that customer’s expect retail locations to meet their electrification needs.
Retailers, large and small, who are located adjacent to an IONITY charging site will profit from the time EV drivers will spend in the shop, restaurant, or café, whilst their car is charging. In Norway for instance, IONITY is driving an average of 100 customers a day to various retail sites which – if each driver spends £5 – is providing £180,000 a year of new additional spend to onsite retailers. IONITY’s UK sites expect to see these volumes as early as 2023 and this will only increase in the run up to 2035, when the UK government plans to decarbonise all vehicles.
IONITY sites naturally have an increased footfall from customers. This is because IONITY is a joint venture of the automobile manufacturers and shareholders: BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG and the Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche. As they benefit from attractive pricing schemes, drivers of these vehicle brands will preferably use IONITY chargers. In addition, IONITY sites appear on all their in-car navigation systems, which directs EV drivers straight to the IONITY charging site and in turn to the retailers’ amenities, where those charging their car will want to dwell and recharge themselves.
Bringing footfall to small retailers
In December 2020, IONITY opened one of its high-power charging stations at a strategic location in Chippenham, perfect for electric car owners driving past junction 17 of the M4 in Wiltshire on their way to Devon and Cornwall. The Chippenham Pit Stop, a family run roadside service station, which has a restaurant, convenience store, lorry park and a fuel island primarily for commercial vehicles, has seen a significant rise in business since IONITY has opened its site, due to a noticeable increase of footfall in the shop and café from EV drivers and passengers passing by and returning.
“IONITY has helped to boost our sales figures and bring in new loyal customers to our business,” said David Hatherell, MD of Pit Stop. “Since last summer we have had a constant stream of EV drivers coming through our service building and they even recommend us to their friends who drive diesel and petrol cars. Prior to IONITY charging stations being here, the Pit Stop was not ‘on the map’ for most non-commercial drivers, which they most probably assumed was for truckers only. However now we have seen a whole new customer base who can enjoy our restaurant and Nisa Local store whilst they charge their vehicle.”
“For us the most positive result has been that word is spreading about our family run business, because of the IONITY network. Because of IONITY we have seen a steady increase in trade from our electric car customers which has brought considerable popularity to the site as well as revenue,” continued David. “We are now facing the issue of needing more chargers to meet customer demand because of the popularity of the site.”
Future proofing with IONITY
As IONITY’s shareholders manufacture their cars and make leaps in innovation to push forward driving EVs, IONITY’s technology behind its charging network will move with this, meaning IONITY’s network does not become redundant.
JJ O’Hara, managing director of OCO Westend, has been a licensed franchise partner of Starbucks for 10 years and has 11 drive-thru stores across the West and North-West of Scotland. OCO Westend and IONITY share two sites today, with one more in Stafford opening next month and another five in the pipeline to open in the near term. At each of the drive-thru stores, they can expect to see an additional 150 – 200 cars per day from EV drivers.
JJ O’Hara said: “As a global brand that is trusted and well known, we wanted to partner with a charging provider that was also trusted by its customers. As an EV owner myself I knew that we needed a partner that heavily invests in its infrastructure. IONITY is building the fastest charging network, at strategic locations, allowing customers to travel longer distances across the UK. In my opinion no other competitor can rival this.”
“As the number of EVs on our road’s increases, we expect to see real traction in EV drivers visiting our stores by 2025. The next few transformative years need to have a network that is future-proof and constantly able to provide the newest technology on the market. For my customers and my franchise, that partner is IONITY.”
Having EV charge points on site not only increases dwell time and average spend and a convenient experience, but IONITY also helps its customers to reach their zero-carbon footprint goals as its high-power chargers provide 100% renewable energy. In addition, to show the dedication to helping businesses, IONITY will cover the costs of everything, from the design, connection, permissions, construction to the operation of the HPC charging site.
For retailers across the UK, they can increase their sales by locating with a charging network that has the state-of-the-art technology but is backed by big brands and car manufacturers driving forward greener ambitions and excellent customer experience.
About IONITY
IONITY is making electric vehicle travel the new normal.
The company is building and operating a High-Power Charging (HPC) network along European highways with state-of-the-art technology and a charging capacity of up to 350 kW. This will enable drivers of current and future generations of electric vehicles to benefit from maximum charging speeds during their stopovers – when using the leading European charging standard CCS (Combined Charging System). Each IONITY charging station offers an average of four charging points. As a commitment to sustainability, customers charge 100% renewable energy at all IONITY chargers for emission-free and CO2-neutral driving.
IONITY was founded in 2017 and is a joint venture of the automobile manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG and the Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche. More than 110 employees at IONITY are shaping the future of e-mobility. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany, with an additional office in Oslo, Norway. IONITY is an internationally registered trademark.
