Tesla's charging business continues to expand globally. UK gas station operator EG Group announced on Monday that it will purchase Tesla's ultra fast charging device to help promote its electric vehicle charging network in Europe.
EG is owned by billionaire Isa Brothers, who also own British supermarket giant Asda.
EG Group stated that its goal is to expand the charging network from over 600 chargers currently deployed to over 20000 chargers.
The company also stated that the first batch of Tesla chargers will be installed by the end of this year, but did not provide detailed information on the total procurement cost or time frame.
The "Open Network" Tesla charger that EG is purchasing will enable all drivers to use these chargers, regardless of their vehicle brand.
Rebecca Tinucci, Senior Director of Tesla Charging Infrastructure, said, "Quickly installing a reliable and easy-to-use electric vehicle charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future. Tesla's fast charging hardware will also be provided to other leaders in the field
The popularization of electric vehicles is seen as key to achieving climate goals in the UK and Europe, and the automotive industry is calling for accelerated expansion of public charging networks to encourage drivers to switch to electric vehicles.
According to government data, as of October 1st, the UK has installed over 49000 public electric vehicle charging devices.
Tesla announced in February this year that it will open up some of its US charging network to competitors' electric vehicles, as part of a $7.5 billion federal plan aimed at expanding the use of electric vehicles and reducing carbon emissions.
It is worth noting that the transaction with EG is Tesla's second overcharged device transaction. At the end of last month, Tesla announced that it would sell a $100 million super charging station device to BP, which will deploy it as part of its charging network across the United States. This is Tesla's first sale of a super charging station to another company.