The British private hire and taxi company Addison Lee has announced a partnership in London. ChargePoint will install ultra-rapid EV chargers at its West Drayton Fleet Hub near Heathrow Airport with “guaranteed” access for Addison Lee drivers.
The Addison Lee depot in West Drayton services Addison Lee vehicles and provides driver training. The cab company writes that the installation of two new HPC stations will provide an “ideal location to stop and take a break between journeys,” writes the cab company.
Each ChargePoint column comes with two plus so that up to four drivers can charge their vehicles simultaneously.
Moreover, through this new cooperation, drivers will receive access to the software by ChargePoint to see if the stations are currently in use. The drivers will also have access to the ChargePoint network in the British capital via the app.
Addison Lee currently claims 1,000 EVs already on the fleet, and the company has pledged to electrify its fleet by 2023. To this end, the firm has also provided drivers with support for home charging.
As for public charging, the deal with ChargePoint is in addition to a similar agreement with BP Pulse scored by Addison Lee last October at Gatwick Airport. The cooperation with ChargePoint, however, would further allow fleet managers at Addison Lee to have complete control over their charging infrastructure as their needs grow, writes the company.
Unlike ride-hailing services such as Uber, where drivers must buy their cars, Addison Lee runs its own fleet of vehicles and black cabs. The company has reportedly been buying Volkswagen ID.4 cars since September 2021 to grow the fleet to 1,000 vehicles, as mentioned above.
Liam Griffin, CEO of Addison Lee, said they had hit the milestone of 1,000 EVs on the fleet in just over 14 months. “With access to reliable charging infrastructure still the main barrier for drivers switching to electric, we remain committed to investing in these innovative partnerships and working together to tackle the ongoing infrastructure challenges across the capital.”
Tanya Sinclair, Senior Director of Public Policy, Europe at ChargePoint, added the cooperation with Addison Lee made it “easier for drivers to confidently locate, initiate and pay for charging, not only here in Heathrow, but throughout London and the UK”.
Addison Lee is looking for more drivers, guaranteeing new drivers £5,000 earnings in their first month, alongside a package including pensions and holiday pay.
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Keyword: Addison Lee has ChargePoint provide EV charging at new fleet hub