IKEA has announced a £45m investment for Last Mile Delivery, which will provide charging points for electric delivery vehicles across the country to enable more emissions-free deliveries.
Mer will install 196 chargers, 53 of which will be rapid and able to provide a full charge in under an hour. The entire charging infrastructure will be supplied with energy from entirely renewable sources, and will become one of the largest EV charging infrastructure projects in the UK.
The charging points will be available for all electric vehicles making home deliveries across the UK and Ireland for IKEA, and the chargers will be located at IKEA stores and across the country, the first ones are to be fitted by Zap-Pay partner, Mer, in IKEA Cardiff this month.
“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,” said Natasha Fry, Head of Sales at Mer UK.
"We look forward to supporting the IKEA team and, importantly, its customers in making sure last-mile deliveries are efficient and emission-free.”
By summer 2023, IKEA plans to achieve 60% zero emission deliveries in the UK and Ireland, and aims to reach 100% emission-free deliveries by 2025.
“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,” said Jakob Bertilsson, Country Customer Fulfilment Manager at IKEA UK & Ireland
“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.”
