SUPERMARKET CHARGING WITH SMART CHARGE: A TOUR AND A CHAT WITH SAINSBURY'S

EV Channels Review

This video provides an in-depth look at Sainsbury's 'Smart Charge' EV charging hubs, highlighting their rapid rollout and focus on customer convenience. The reviewer praises the accessibility of the charging bays, designed to accommodate users with mobility issues and families with car seats. The Kempower chargers are singled out for their reliability and innovative distributed power system, which ensures better uptime and power distribution across bays. Sainsbury's strategic decision to develop its own charging network, rather than relying on third parties, is presented as a key differentiator. The discussion also touches upon the challenges of public charging costs in the UK, with the Product Director explaining the impact of capital investment, grid connection fees, distribution costs, and a higher VAT rate compared to home charging. While the current price of 75p/kWh is acknowledged as not the cheapest, Sainsbury's aims for fairness and competitiveness. The integration of Nectar points and improved digital features like charge monitoring and receipt generation are also noted as positive customer-centric developments. The video concludes by emphasizing the essential role of such visible charging infrastructure for the 40% of UK residents who cannot charge at home.