Gaywood Tesco store in King's Lynn no longer offers free charging for electric cars after UK-wide tariff introduction
Electric car drivers can no longer charge their vehicles for free at Gaywood Tesco due to a series of new tariffs.
The supermarket giant introduced new fees for motorists on November 1, with 7kW chargers now costing 28p per kWh – the minimum on offer.
Drivers wishing to charge their cars faster will see prices rise to 40p for 22kW and 50p for 50kW rapid chargers.
Tesco has experienced considerable backlash nationally for the decision, with some shoppers claiming they will opt to go elsewhere now that free charging is off the table.
Previously, the company was one of the UK’s largest providers of free electricity.
However, a number of Lynn residents believe the decision at the St Faith’s Drive store is well warranted.
Replying to our Facebook post seeking feedback on the new tariffs, Kyle Birchnall-Skipper said: “Someone has to pay so why pass it to those that don’t have electric cars?
“Do I go to the supermarket and fill with petrol for free?”
Stephen Andrews argued that: “If they can afford to buy electric cars, they can afford to pay to charge them.”
Tesco has said that its new rates are “significantly cheaper” than typical costs of charging vehicles at home, citing current domestic price caps of around 34p per kWh.
There are currently four charging points on offer at the Gaywood store.
One electric car driver, James Mann, replied to our post by saying: “I’m happy to pay, just wish they had more charging points.”
Nearly all replies backed the decision.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We’ve provided more than 86 million miles worth of free charging for customers to date, and our new great value tariffs will build on this with some of the most competitive rates in the market.
“These changes will improve access to chargers for all our customers, and enable continued investment in our charging network across the UK.”
The supermarket hopes that the changes will mean customers only top up “when they need to”, encouraging them to make way for others once their cars are charged.
