Australian electric vehicle charging network — JOLT — has further expanded its global footprint by launching its charging network in the UK; this is the company’s first rollout in the Northern Hemisphere.
The UK is now set to benefit from free, fast and clean streetside EV charging kiosks as JOLT plans to roll out thousands of charging stations across London and UK cities in the coming years.
JOLT’s mission is to help reduce barriers to EV ownership and accelerate e-mobility in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and now in the UK with a sustainable charging solution driven by 100 per cent renewable energy.
Across the JOLT EV charging network, similar to the customer proposition JOLT delivers in Australia, all electric vehicle drivers can access seven kilowatt hours of free charging per day, which equates to 40 to 50 kilometres of range and 15 to 20 minutes of charge time — depending on the vehicle.
Drivers can save more than $1,000 per annum by charging with JOLT.
JOLT operates a digital out-of-home advertising network of screens integrated with its charging stations, which allow for the allocation of free charging, and provide like-minded brands access to JOLT’s audience. JOLT has started installing a comprehensive network of EV charging stations nationwide, with the first sites now installed in the London Borough of Barnet.
JOLT CEO Doug McNamee said: “The roll out of our first chargers in London represents a tremendous expansion of our growing international charging network. The UK is now our third international market, following JOLT’s expansion to New Zealand and our recent announcement to roll out chargers in Canada this year.
“We have ambitious plans to grow JOLT into a significant global company with our state-of-the-art chargers that run on renewable energy. This drives our mission to enhance the accessibility and convenience of EV charging infrastructure across the UK and contribute to a greener future by reducing air pollution.
“Our free, fast and clean charging stations introduce a game-changing solution for EV drivers in the UK, resulting in significant cost savings, allowing them to travel more freely and further reducing any barriers to EV uptake.
“This significant saving for drivers is expected to make EV ownership even more attractive to a range of UK car buyers, looking for convenience, sustainability on their transport choices and cost-effective vehicles,” said McNamee.
Barnet in North London is the first UK Borough to partner with JOLT following a $4.03 million (£2.1 million) funding grant to Barnet, as part of the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot Project, a government scheme supporting the rollout of EV charging infrastructure.
LEVI aims to deliver a step change in the expansion and growth of on-street charging infrastructure across the UK.
Former UK Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said: “[In regards to the LEVI funding,] the Government is giving local authorities across England additional help today to energise their chargepoint roll-out plans.
“[Today’s] commitment will lead to thousands of new chargers being installed, and plans for tens of thousands extra in due course, so that more people than ever can make the transition to using EVs.”
Backed by BlackRock’s Climate Infrastructure funding, JOLT has a track record of partnering with governments, transportation authorities, local councils, businesses, private landowners and other community stakeholders to build infrastructure that supports and incentivises clean transport.
JOLT recently announced a partnership with TELUS to roll out 5,000 EV chargers across Canada and also operates in Australia, New Zealand and now the UK, with thousands of EV charging stations under contract.
The first charging stations in Barnet were unveiled today with thousands more stations to be installed across the UK.