Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland is rolling out 4,500 electric car charging points, underpinning its switch to an electric car fleet.

Roll-out of the charger network is already underway, with 750 expected to be installed each year for the next five years

The building solutions specialist pledged earlier this year to move its entire 3,200-strong car fleet to electric and hybrid vehicles by the end of 2023, on the back of Saint-Gobain’s global commitment last year to be net zero carbon by 2050

Its partnership with Rolec will support its electrification plans, delivering across 1,000 of its UK & Ireland locations, including sites, offices and retail branches, over the next five years.

The 1,000 charging point network is in addition to Saint-Gobain’s commitment to install an electric car charging point at all of its 3,200 company car drivers’ homes that are able to accommodate a charging point.

The changes are expected to remove 11,000 tonnes of CO2 from the firm’s activity.

“Our purpose is Making the World a Better Home and reducing our carbon footprint is integral to this. We are committed to be net zero carbon by 2050 and meet additional science-based targets by 2030 so it’s essential we act quickly where we can and accelerate the actions we’re taking to reduce the carbon footprint of our transportation and reduce the impact on the planet from our colleagues who need to drive for work,” said Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland CEO, Mike Chaldecott.

The 1,000-site charger network will run across all Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland brands, including

Jewson, British Gypsum, Gibbs & Dandy, Minster and all Saint-Gobain office locations. A total of 500 of the 1,000 locations will be at Jewson branches.

Roll-out of the charger network is already underway, with 750 expected to be installed each year for the next five years.

Saint-Gobain will also use Rolec’s charger management system, VendElectric, which will allow the business to control and manage the charging network and allow it to assess usage and enable colleagues and visitors to find information on real-time charger availability.

Mike Chaldecott added: “Having an extensive charging network, for colleagues and visitors, is essential to making the rapid transition to electric cars as easy as possible for people.

“Taking action like this will help us make the change happen as quickly as possible and we’re very pleased with this small but important step to help make the world a better home.”