The supermarket chain says the move makes Smart Charge the first electric charging service to offer customers loyalty benefits from Netcar, the UK’s biggest multi partner loyalty programme.
All Smart Charge customers with active Nectar accounts will be able to charge their electric vehicle and collect Nectar points from the end of this month*, collecting 1 Nectar point for every pound spent. EV drivers without a Nectar account can register via the Nectar app or website, or get a card in Sainsbury’s stores and register at home.
Smart Charge is an ultra-rapid EV charging network with over 400 charging bays. Sainsbury's says the service has already proven to be popular with drivers with more than 65,000 hours of charging to date. Ultra-rapid is powered by 100% renewable energy.
The news coincides with the launch of the retailer’s 50th Smart Charge EV charging location on June 12, with 12 new bays now available at the Sainsbury’s London Enfield Superstore.
Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s director of property, procurement & EV ventures, said: “Today marks a huge milestone for our Smart Charge business as we become the first EV charging provider to offer customers loyalty benefits from a UK leading loyalty programme, Nectar. Rolling out across June, customers using any of our 400 Smart Charge bays across the country will now be able to benefit from collecting Nectar points to spend on their favourite brands.
“With bays in more locations than ever before, and Sainsbury’s stores conveniently placed far and wide, it has never been easier for EV drivers across the UK to access ultra-rapid facilities, and now they can reap the benefit of Nectar points too. Not to forget the added advantage of popping into a Sainsbury’s store to pick up some groceries while waiting for their vehicle charge to complete."
Smart Charge is the only fully owned and end-to-end managed EV charging business from a UK supermarket. The service is intended to help advance the uptake of electric vehicles in the country, making access to charging on the go more accessible and supporting the UK’s transition to a low-carbon economy.
Sainsbury's says new charging hubs will be added to the Smart Charge network throughout the UK regularly, with service information and new openings published on www.smartcharge.co.uk
