Sydney-based EV charging startup Jolt announced on Wednesday that it has expanded into the United Kingdom with plans to deliver thousands of EV chargers across London and other UK cities.
Jolt, which was founded in 2018, is Australia’s first network of “free” EV fast charging stations, offering EV drivers 7kWh, or around 50 kilometres, of free and 100% renewable fast charging.
Having already crossed the Tasman into New Zealand, and expanding into Canada earlier this year, Jolt’s launch in the UK is part of the company’s goal of reducing barriers to EV ownership and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.
Jolt funds its free EV charging through advertising screens that are integrated into their charging stations.
The first EV charging sites are already operating in the London Borough of Barnet, thanks to a £2.1 million funding grant to Barnet delivered as part of the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Pilot Project, a scheme supporting the rollout of EV charging infrastructure.
Jolt is promising “thousands more stations to be installed across the UK”.
“The roll out of our first chargers in London represents a tremendous expansion of our growing international charging network,” said Doug McNamee, Jolt CEO.
“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.”
Jolt announced in June a partnership with Canadian telecommunications company Telus that would see the rollout of 5,000 EV chargers across the country, to be paired not only with Jolt’s advertising screens but also Telus’ public Wi-Fi capability.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.