EV charging company Source has partnered with broadband network Openreach to support its transition to electric vehicles.
The agreement enables Openreach engineers to charge at Source hubs using the Allstar platform, with a commercially aligned model that supports efficient, high-frequency charging across Openreach’s fleet.
For the company’s 25,000 engineers covering routes across the UK, the ability to charge quickly and get back on the road is “critical to serve customers and communities”, it said.
Source sites feature ultra-rapid chargers of up to 300kW, which allow most electric vehicles to ‘charge and go’ in less than 15 minutes.
Openreach has more than 7,000 EVs on the road and is aiming to transition the majority of its fleet to electric by 2031 in support of its Net Zero target.
Source plans to open 300 ultra-rapid charging hubs across the UK and Ireland, with coverage designed to support drivers on the move wherever their working day takes them.
Alice Aprile-Smith, Head of Partnerships and Business Development at Source, said:
“Openreach operates the UK’s second largest commercial fleet and is serious about its transition to electric – that’s exactly the kind of partner we want to be working with.
“Source is built to deliver ultra-rapid public charging reliably, at scale, across the breadth of the UK. We’re proud to be supporting one of the country’s most ambitious fleet electrification programmes.”
Judy O’Keefe, Director of Fleet at Openreach, said:
“Moving a fleet our size to electric is a big job. Charging needs to be simple, safe and reliable for our engineers. That’s why partnerships like this matter. They give our people fast, flexible charging when they’re out on the road.
“That keeps them moving, so we can keep serving customers and communities right across the UK. And as we switch to electric, we’re already seeing the benefits – cutting emissions, improving air quality and helping create healthier places to live and work. It’s all part of our move to a zero-emissions fleet by 2031 and our wider net zero plans.”
The news comes as Transport + Energy’s Fleet Electrification Forum takes place this week on Wednesday (8 July) at Warwick Conferences.
Image courtesy of Openreach
