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Image: Mathieu Soulas, senior vice president of new mobility and marketing, TotalEnergies (L) and Neil Kirkby, managing director of enterprise at SSE (R)
TotalEnergies and SSE have introduced a fresh contender in the UK and Ireland's burgeoning EV charging market, seeking to seize a 20 percent market share over the next five years.
This new venture, named Source, aims to roll out up to 3,000 high-power charge points, each boasting more than 150KW of capacity. These will be strategically placed at 300 "EV hubs" in prime urban locations throughout the UK and Ireland. Many of these sites are already under construction, with plans for many more in the pipeline. Notably, these hubs will be powered by renewable energy sources.
Source's entry into the market underscores the growing competition and rapid development in the EV infrastructure sector, reflecting the increasing demand for sustainable transportation solutions.
"TotalEnergies is proud to contribute to the development of electric mobility to decarbonize transportation in the UK and Ireland," said Mathieu Soulas, senior vice president of new mobilities at TotalEnergies. "This is a great opportunity to extend our European network and stake out a key position as a reference high-power charging player."
TotalEnergies, a prominent oil and gas operator in the UK, oversees approximately 30 percent of the gas production on the UK continental shelf, with an average output of 142,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2023. However, like other leading oil majors, it has made significant strides in the rapidly growing EV charging market. The company currently manages the Source London network, which comprises 2,600 charging points across the capital.
Additionally, TotalEnergies boasts an impressive offshore wind portfolio in the UK, exceeding 5GW of capacity. This includes the 1.1GW Seagreen project, highlighting its commitment to diversifying energy offerings and supporting sustainable initiatives.
"We want to offer our customers - passenger cars and fleet alike - a nationwide, ultra-fast, and reliable charging service that allows them to travel efficiently with complete peace of mind," Soulas added. "This development also contributes to our integrated power strategy in the UK, combining renewable and flexible power generation capacity, trading and marketing of low-carbon electricity available 24 hours a day."
Meanwhile, SSE is set to invest £20.5 billion over the next five years in various projects, including advanced EV charging technology, as part of its Net Zero Acceleration Programme Plus. Recently, the company introduced a charging hub in Dundee and is preparing to launch its first site in the Republic of Ireland at Lough Sheever Retail Park in Mullingar. This ambitious investment underscores SSE's commitment to accelerating the net-zero transition and expanding its EV charging market footprint.
"SSE is already playing a leading role in decarbonising the UK and Ireland's power system including building the world's largest offshore wind farm and transforming electricity networks," said Neil Kirkby, managing director of enterprise at SSE. "Now this agreement will help accelerate progress towards a decarbonised transport system too, ensuring the vehicles that keep the economy moving can do so in a more sustainable and efficient way,"
The new launch received an enthusiastic reception from Lilian Greenwood, the recently appointed Minister for the Future of Roads. She praised Source as a fantastic initiative with significant potential to accelerate the UK's transition to electric vehicles. Greenwood's endorsement underscores the importance of such projects in driving forward the adoption of sustainable transportation solutions.
"This government has made delivering greener journeys one of its top priorities for transport, and it's by working together with industry that we'll be able to boost consumer confidence through widespread, reliable electric vehicle charging - and achieve our shared goal of getting more electric vehicles on the road," she said.
As part of its General Election manifesto and automotive sector plan, the Labour Party has pledged to drive the transition to EVs by accelerating the rollout of charge points, reinstating the 2030 phase-out date for new internal combustion engine car sales, and supporting second-hand EV buyers by standardizing battery condition information.
The launch of Source follows a positive report from ChargeUK and New AutoMotive, which found that the UK now has over 930,000 charge points installed across homes, workplaces, and public locations. The analysis highlighted that the EV network is expanding rapidly, with a new charge point installed every 25 minutes. The surge in ultra-rapid and fast chargers means the current infrastructure can enable every EV in the UK to drive 580 miles daily, 25 times the average daily car journey.
However, the report also emphasized the need for the new government to address planning and grid connection delays for new charge points, as many charging networks aim to speed up the rollout.
The launch of Source comes shortly after similar initiatives from private and semi-public EV charging firm Erinion, truck maker Scania, and supermarket giant Sainsbury, which introduced a dedicated ultra-rapid charging business called Smart Charge.
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