EV drivers can now pre-book charging slots

Electric car owners can now pre-book charging slots near their destination following a tie-up between a parking firm and hotel chain.

The new agreement guarantees EV drivers availability when they need it by allowing them to reserve a location and time that suits them.

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One current problem faced by EV drivers is reaching a charging point only to find that it’s already in use, with no indication of when it will be free. The new deal between YourParkingSpace and Atlas Hotels aims to ease that and there are plans to expand it to other locations as well.

The scheme is currently being trialled at the Holiday Inn Express in Bicester, where five charging points were installed for the purpose. In the next 12 months YourParkingSpace plans to install a further 250 charging points at Atlas Hotel locations around the UK before rolling the scheme out across other sites.

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The charge points will be available for hotel guests and any other EV drivers who pre-book via an app.

Harrison Woods, managing director at YourParkingSpace, said: “This is a great leap forward for the ever-increasing number of EV owners.

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“Over the next 12 months we plan to open up a multitude of UK locations, with Atlas Hotels at the forefront of the roll-out, where EV drivers will be able to pre-book charging for their vehicle, removing the stress of otherwise finding and waiting for a charge point that is being used by another motorist to become available.

“YourParkingSpace has ambitious plans to become a leader in the electric vehicle charging market, becoming a go-to destination for customers to find a charging point.”

The scheme aims to stop drivers having to wait for an charging point to be free (Photo: Shutterstock)

EV uptake has soared in 2020, nearly doubling over 2019’s sales despite the difficulties faced by the new car industry. With the announcement of the Government’s ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, interest is expected to increase rapidly.

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Martin Coombes, operations and product director at Atlas Hotels, said: “We’re very excited about this initiative. The experience for our customers begins at the start of their journey. The roll-out of electric charge points will help to eliminate both range anxiety for our EV drivers and the inconvenience of having to stop to charge either before or after their hotel stay.

“We also look forward to welcoming EV drivers who would traditionally not have stopped at one of our hotels, with park, charge and meal deals.”

Charging networks including ChargePoint, EnGenie and NewMotion, along with car makers including Volkswagen are increasingly turning to venues such as hotels, restaurants and supermarkets as convenient locations for their charging stations.

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