Electric vehicle (EV) charging company Mer UK, owned by Norwegian renewable energy supplier Statkraft, has completed a number of installations across the UK for workspaces company IWG.
IWG customers are now benefiting from Mer’s 25kW DC chargers at four IWG sites, after the companies teamed up to help the nation’s hybrid workplaces operate more sustainably. Over the next few months, the rollout will be extended to 30 of IWG’s UK workspaces, offering thousands of customers and their clients more environmentally friendly transport options, and helping to accelerate EV adoption.
Mer’s aim is to make sustainable electric mobility easy and accessible to everyone. For example, although charge points are now mandatory at new-build houses and buildings, not everyone will have the ability to charge at home. Workplaces can therefore play an important role in ensuring that employees and clients with EVs have access to charge their vehicle.
“Sustainability has never been more important for people when they choose brands they want to work with, or for,” said Anthony Hinde, Managing Director at Mer. “What we are seeing is that when companies offer EV charging – it is both a great incentive and something their customers and clients greatly appreciate.”
Meanwhile, IWG – the parent company of flexible workspace brands Regus, Spaces, HQ and Basepoint – is leading the hybrid work revolution, whereby people can split their working hours between home, a local workspace and the HQ. The flexible approach brings cost efficiencies for companies looking to streamline their operations and avoid using resources they no longer need, reducing their environmental impact.
The new chargers at IWG locations make it possible for customers to use EVs for short trips to their local flexible workspace, and also supports the concept of the ’15-Minute City’ – a sustainable urban planning concept where everything citizens need in life exists within a 15-minute journey from their home, without the use of polluting transport.
“Our customers are very happy with the new electric vehicle charge points. Giving people the freedom to work how and where they want is at the heart of the hybrid model, so it’s brilliant that we can offer them the added convenience of being able to charge their electric vehicles while they work,” said Darren Brooks, Community Manager at IWG’s Spaces workspace in Marlow, Buckinghamshire.
Mer’s new charging devices installed at IWG sites can charge an EV battery to 80% in around 1-2 hours. This makes them a great choice for flexible work environments like IWG’s, where clients and employees can add approximately 100 miles to their vehicles in around an hour.
Charging devices have already been installed at Regus Atterbury Lakes, Milton Keynes; Spaces Globe Park, Marlow; Regus Chester Business Park and Basepoint’s Bromsgrove Enterprise Park.
Mer, which signed up to the Zap-Pay partner network last year, is focused on installing EV infrastructure into high-usage, high-footfall locations, like workplaces, public places, car parks and residential areas where people don’t have access to their own garages or driveways. The network currently consists of a combination of fast and rapid charging devices in the UK.
