Sainsbury’s has launched Smart Charge, a brand-new EV charging business that will give drivers access to ultra-rapid EV charging points across its stores. The company has promised it will have over 750 150kW bays in more than 100 Sainsbury’s locations by the end of 2024, making it one of the UK’s top five providers of ultra-rapid charging.

Sainsbury’s 150kW Smart Charge bays allow users to fully charge their vehicle in as little as 30 minutes, providing enough power to travel up to 200 miles. The cost is currently 75p/kWh, compared to the 75kW rapids at rival Tesco which cost 69p/kWh.

Smart Charge is the first and only EV charging business to be fully owned and managed end-to-end by a UK supermarket. As of today, Smart Charge is available at around 200 ultra-rapid charging bays at just over 20 Sainsbury’s locations. The state-of-the-art charging technology and equipment is provided by Kempower.

All of the chargers will be available to use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Director of Property, Procurement & EV Ventures, said: “With our new network of easy-to-use and reliable charging points conveniently located in our supermarkets, Smart Charge will make a real difference to EV drivers in the UK. As one of the few providers to be focusing exclusively on cutting-edge ultra-rapid 150kW+chargers, customers can be in and out in as little as half an hour and avoid waiting longer with less powerful alternatives.” 

The Kempower units charge at up to 150kW