Electric vehicle owners will now be able to charge while they shop as your Society becomes the first supermarket in Jersey to offer shoppers EV chargers.

Jersey Electricity has installed four EV charge points in the car park at Grand Marché St Peter, with more due to be introduced at En Route St Peter and Grand Marché St Helier by the end of the year.

JE and its sister company, Jersey Energy, worked together to install the two BP Charge Master 22kW fast chargers, which can accommodate two cars each, bringing the total number of public electric charging points in Jersey to 29.

Jim Plumley, chief development officer for the Society, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to offer islanders with electric vehicles the opportunity to now charge them at Grand Marché St Peter. This is one of a number of steps we are making to reduce our impact on the environment.

‘As an ethical and responsible retailer we welcome the rise in electric vehicles in Jersey and are more than willing to help by offering our customers charge points. We also have plans to introduce more EV charge points by the end of the year.

‘Most people with electric cars would probably charge them at home – we are hoping to offer islanders an alternative when they do their weekly shop, making their shopping experience more convenient.’

The Society’s chargers are accessible without subscription via contactless card or a mobile app, which is the same as others installed by Jersey Electricity this year. Any charger issues or problems are supported by a dedicated 24/7 helpline, including remote connectivity into the chargers.

Jersey Electricity CEO, Chris Ambler said: ‘We are delighted to have been able to work with the Co-op, which has always been a leader in sustainable business practices. This installation is another example of this and another step for us on the road to extending Jersey’s EV charging network to 75 by the end of 2020, as we seek to inspire a zero-carbon Jersey and actively support the Government’s 2030 carbon neutrality ambitions. ‘We have also reached agreement with the Co-op to install four more charge points at St Peter En Route and are working towards a further installation at St Helier Grand Marché. I am also pleased that we have now received planning permission for charger installations in public car-parks at First Tower, St Aubin, Red Houses and St Brelade’s Bay.’

EV charge points are one of a number of initiatives the Co-op has introduced to reduce its impact on the environment. Earlier in the year, the Society installed two Classic Herd milk dispensers into Grand Marché St Helier, removing more than 500 plastic bottles a week from its stores. It has rolled out an energy monitoring system in all stores, which helps the business monitor energy usage and react to any issues to reduce energy wastage. A plastic free trial, on as much local produce as possible, is currently running in all Grand Marché stores and it is in the process of replacing all premises’ conventional light bulbs with low energy low-life lamps.