British petrol station operator EG Group is to buy Tesla's ultra-fast charging units to help roll out its electric vehicle charging network across Europe.
EG, owned by the billionaire Issa brothers who also own UK supermarket Asda, said it was aiming to expand its charging network from over 600 chargers currently deployed to more than 20,000 chargers at its own sites over time.
Electric vehicle adoption is seen as key to Britain's goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 but the car industry has called for a faster expansion of the public charging network in order to enable drivers to make the switch.
The UK had just over 49,000 public electric vehicle charging devices installed as of October 1, according to government figures.
'Open Network'
The 'open network' Tesla chargers being bought by EG Group will enable all drivers to access them regardless of the brand of their vehicle, the company added.
"The rapid installation of reliable, easy-to-use EV charging infrastructure is the right step towards a sustainable future," Tesla's senior director of Charging Infrastructure, Rebecca Tinucci, said.
Tesla's fast-charging hardware will also be available for purchase to "other leaders" in the space, she added.
Asda Takeover
In October, Asda successfully concluded the purchase of the majority of EG Group's UK & Ireland operations, valuing the deal at £2.07 billion (€2.4 billion) in enterprise value.
This transaction, which resulted in the formation of a conglomerate with a combined revenue of nearly £28 billion (€32.1 billion), was initially announced in May with a value of £2.27 billion (€2.6 billion). The adjusted price reflects mutually agreed-upon modifications.
Asda's strategic objective is to expand its presence in the convenience store sector by introducing Asda Express outlets in EG's 356 UK locations.
Additional reporting by ESM
