Ikea invests £4.5m in EV charging for last mile delivery

Ikea has announced a £4.5m investment in a nationwide electric charging infrastructure with Mer providing charging points for emissions-free deliveries across the UK.

The investment will be one of the biggest EV charging infrastructure project for last mile fleet in the UK, according to Ikea, with energy solely from renewable sources.

Mer, a European charging company owned by Statkraft, will be responsible for the end-to-end implementation and ongoing management and maintenance.

Transformation

The project will see installation of 196 chargers, of which 53 will be rapid, providing full charge on vehicles in under an hour. The chargers will be located at stores as well as at the new Dartford CDC due to open in spring 2023. The first chargers will be fitted in Ikea Cardiff this month (April 2023) with the charging points available for all EVs making home deliveries across the UK and Ireland for Ikea.

The EV infrastructure forms part of the firm’s ongoing transformation to become more sustainable as the retailer aims to reach 100% zero emissions deliveries to customers by 2025. By summer 2023, it plans to achieve 60% zero emission deliveries in the UK and Ireland.

The move comes as part of the company’s plans to enable a future built on operating with electric vehicles and follows recent investment in 23 new zero emission, fully electric ‘Maxus eDeliver 9’ vehicles for all stores in the UK and Ireland.

Heart of everything

Jakob Bertilsson, Country Customer Fulfilment Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at IKEA, and we are always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet while supporting our customers to live more sustainable lives at home.

“Investing in this infrastructure of nationwide charging points is a fundamental step in our ambition to reach 100% zero emissions deliveries from all IKEA stores and distribution centres to customers by 2025, as well as supporting our ambition to become a fully circular business by 2030.”

The investment from Ikea was also been welcomed by the government.

Transport Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said: “It is great to see IKEA investing heavily in EV chargepoints and decarbonising its vehicle fleet.

“This investment is the latest example of businesses and government working together to decarbonise all aspects of road transport, improve air quality and create healthier, buzzing communities.”

Shared values

Natasha Fry, Head of Sales at Mer UK “IKEA is an iconic brand with a recognised commitment to sustainability. When they needed future-proof charge points for their zero-emission, last-mile fleet, they wanted to work with a partner who shares these values.”

“Rolling out charging infrastructure for electric vans is rarely straightforward and IKEA recognised that they needed an EV charging expert to guide them through the complexities of a project of this size. We look forward to supporting the IKEA team and, importantly, its customers in making sure last-mile deliveries are efficient and emission-free.” 

Image courtesy of Ikea/Mer.

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