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Little Chef to get EV charge points

Every Little Chef restaurant equipped with quick electric car chargers by the end of 2012

Little Chef to get EV charge points

By Luke Madden

04th October 2011

Unless you live in central London a public electric car charging point will be a rare sight. But that’s all about to change thanks to Little Chef, SSE and Chargemaster Plc. 

The chain restaurant will be rolling out fast charging points at its locations throughout the UK, which Little Chef claims will mean that 90% of the population will now live within 30 miles of a charging point. 

The Little Chef charging points provide a 7kW charging supply – compared to about 3kW for mains supply – which will allow a full recharge of an electric car’s batteries in around four hours. Plugged into the wall, this process would normally take eight hours.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said, “This private-sector-led initiative is just the kind of ingredient we need to drive the development of our national network of recharging infrastructure.”

The roll-out of charge points will begin with 126 in place by February 2012, with the remainder of Little Chef restaurants equipped with chargers by the end of 2012. Charging will be provided free of charge until December 2012. 

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4 Comments

Finally someone takes up the baton

Charging points are not expensive to set up when these sort of establishments have car parking spaces and electrical supplies already near. There had to be a tipping point when there are enough electric cars on the road to make it worthwhile attracting customers. Of course, the first outlets to provide such points are going to get all the custom of battery car owners. Will be interesting to see who follows suit.

By alan_jenney on 4 October, 2011, 9:37pm

On the other hand - will they get used?

The battery-electric cars currently available have a range of around 100 miles. I used to manage fine with the 200 mile range in an early Smart, but I suspect that battery EVs are going to be limited to 80% of car journeys and maybe in a two-car household as a second car. I cannot see them endeavouring to make long trips as Auto Express have shown with the MIEV. Plug-in hybrids may take advantage of a top-up charge whilst having a meal as the smaller battery is quickly filled.

By alan_jenney on 4 October, 2011, 9:58pm

Four hours in a Little Chef.....not my idea of a good time!

Good luck to Little Chef, but I do feel that these will be used by company car drivers to top-up their batteries while taking meal breaks, although if it's free until December 2012, I can see tight-wad early adopters using them to save money. These will be the same people who sit for the full 4 hours eating their way through the menu since they've nothing better to do while their car charges up. The trouble up here in Scotland is that, while charging points are rare, Little Chefs are equally thin on the ground. So are electric cars, however, but I did see my first Nissan Leaf last week......probably looking for a Little Chef!

By n50pap on 5 October, 2011, 9:58am

Laugh of the week

I burst out laughing at this article. If you are lucky enough to find a
Little Chef. which are usually in the middle of nowhere. Are you going to sit in the Little Chef for four hours while you wait for your car to charge up. I cannot think of any think more ridiculous.

By Dieselman on 6 October, 2011, 10:34pm

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