Vauxhall is giving an added incentive for drivers to opt for an electric vehicle with a brand-new charging offer.

The partnership provides drivers with access to over 2,700 EV charging bays across 619 stores

The carmaker is now offering one year’s free EV charging credit at Tesco stores to new retail customers who purchase an electric Vauxhall car or van direct from a Vauxhall retailer.

The offer can be used at over 2,700 EV charging bays across 619 Tesco stores. Powered by Pod Point, the network has a mix of 7kW, 22kW, 50kW and 75kW charging stations, which are within a 10-minute drive for over 70% of the UK population.

As part of the partnership, all 2,700 charge bays across Tesco stores will be updated with a Vauxhall and Tesco co-branded livery.

The free charging credit is based on one year’s average mileage in a private vehicle – 5,900 miles according to DfT figures – and provided as a fixed credit value in the Pod Point app.

James Taylor, managing director, Vauxhall, said: “We’re committed to electrifying Britain and helping UK motorists to make the switch to electric. We are excited to begin working with Tesco and look forward to seeing the UK’s charging network grow, allowing even more convenient charging solutions for drivers to make their day-to-day journeys.”

Vauxhall’s partnership with Tesco supports its Electric Streets of Britain initiative to help the c.40% of UK households without a driveway to go electric. The campaign launched last year after exclusive research revealed over 70% of UK councils surveyed did not have an official strategy in place for residential on-street charging for electric vehicles, and that 69% of local authorities were yet to install any on-street chargers.

Through Electric Streets of Britain, Vauxhall has established an ‘Enablement Fund’ to help improve local authority understanding of residential on-street charging needs, working with charging operators Char.gy, Connected Kerb and SureCharge.

UK motorists who want to have on-street residential EV chargers installed near them can register their interest at www.electricstreets.co.uk. This will create a national database to help councils across the UK to determine where best to focus their investment and help as many people as possible to make the switch to electric.