Tesco reaches 600 stores with EV charging points

Tesco’s Kirkwall store has become the 600th location in the United Kingdom to have electric vehicle charging points installed.

Since the retailer launched the network alongside Volkswagen and Pod Point in 2019, the charging points have provided 43,218kWh of energy to date - enough to power more than 4,000 homes for a whole day. The installation at the store on the remote Scottish island of Orkney is the culmination of a programme which has seen more than 2,500 EV charging bays installed at 600 stores across the region over the last three years.

The partnership was announced to improve the charging infrastructure as the UK prepares for an electric future. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, at the end of February 2023 there were 693,307 battery-electric cars in the UK, an increase of 610 per cent on the number of BEVs in 2019.

“From Orkney all the way to Southampton, we’re helping customers to make sustainable choices by giving them somewhere easy and convenient to charge while they shop with us. Hitting our target of 600 stores with EV charging is a great milestone – and our work doesn’t stop there, as we’re now installing our first 75kW rapid chargers too,” said Jason Tarry, CEO at Tesco UK.

Tesco’s chargers have been used more than 6,000,000 times already saving more than 24,000 tonnes of CO2.

Dorset man fined for unsafe fireworks

The organiser of a fireworks display has been fined for failing to take appropriate safety measures.

It’s extremely fortunate that no-one was hurt during this distressing incident, but the risk and fear of harm caused could not be ignored or taken lightly.

A business owner who failed to take measures to protect the public during a firework display has been ordered to pay a fine and costs totalling more than £7,000 following a joint investigation by Dorset Council Trading Standards, Food, Safety and Port Health teams.

Craig Richard Robinson (46) of Ringwood pleaded guilty at Poole Magistrates Court on 30th January to failing to take measures to prevent, limit or protect persons from fire or explosion.

Robinson organised a firework display at Ringwood Raceway on 6 November 2021 which was watched by up to 2,000 people. A defective firework fell into the back of a pick-up truck containing unused fireworks. These were then ignited, causing a large explosion. Dorset Council officers noted that the fireworks should have been better protected, and although the resulting explosion did not cause any injuries, it did create a risk and fear of serious harm.

In court, the defence stated that Dorset Council had conducted a thorough and robust investigation into the incident, and the evidence shown was compelling. The prosecution was able to show widely circulated videos of the event before the sentencing, which included the fire in the van for which the defendant had pleaded guilty. Robinson, who is the sole director of Ringwood Raceway Ltd, was fined £3,780, plus a Victims Surcharge of £190 and court costs of £3,700. This totalled £7,670, to be paid by the defendant in monthly instalments of £500.

Dorset Council safety officers have since worked closely with Robinson to improve his risk assessment following the incident, meaning last year’s firework display was able to proceed with no safety issues.

Cllr Laura Beddow, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services: “I’m very pleased with the sentencing. It’s extremely fortunate that no-one was hurt during this distressing incident, but the risk and fear of harm caused could not be ignored or taken lightly.

“The appropriate measures were not taken by the organisers to prevent uncontrolled fire and explosions, and at a public event –especially one involving fireworks – this was unforgiveable and deserving of further legal action.

“I want to thank the Dorset Council officers in our Food, Safety and Port Health, Trading Standards and Legal teams for their hard work on this case. Through their thorough and robust investigation and resulting prosecution, we’ve been able to demonstrate how seriously we take the safety of Dorset residents.”

By JTS Staff Journal of Trading Standards’ in-house team.

First Hydrogen partners with Rivus

First Hydrogen Corp. partners with Rivus to start operational trials with fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV). Rivus is a UK-based fleet management company that works with 120,000 light commercial and heavy goods vehicles each year.

Rivus is the first company to participate in vehicle trials with First Hydrogen’s Generation I zero-emission LCV’s, co-ordinated through the UK Aggregated Hydrogen Freight Consortium (AHFC). The consortium works together with large UK fleet operators to accelerate the commercial rollout of fuel cell vans and trucks and hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. The findings will contribute to

First Hydrogen’s overall evaluation and mileage accumulation programme, which supports vehicle optimisation and determines total cost of ownership.

The trials enable fleet managers from sectors including grocery, express delivery, utilities, healthcare, and roadside assistance, to experience the benefits of FCEVs within their own operations. Upon completion of the trial, Rivus will produce its own independent report analysing the performance of the hydrogenpowered LCV, which will be available to fleet managers and Rivus customers.