THE number of EV charge points is expanding thanks to a tie up between the AA and BP-owned Chargemaster.

 All 4,000 AA hotels and B&Bs are being offered the opportunity to have electric vehicle charging points installed at no cost and integrated into the UK’s largest public network.

 The first hotel to benefit from the offer is Sandford Springs Hotel in Kingsclere, Hampshire.

 Visitors to the hotel can bow plug in to a Chargemaster 50kW rapid charger on the POLAR network.

 Edmund King OBE, president of the AA and a keen advocate of electric cars, officially opened the charging point at the four-star Sandford Springs Hotel and Golf Resort, which is sister hotel to Dale Hill in Wadhurst and The Oxfordshire in Thame.

 Chargemaster said rapid chargers were ideal for hotels along high-traffic routes to encourage charging stops on a longer journey; and destination chargers being suitable for guests to charge overnight.

 David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster, said: “We believe that within the next five years, all hotels will offer EV charging, just like they provide Wi-Fi today.”

 Edmund King OBE, President of the AA, added:

 “Alongside our automotive heritage, the AA has been involved in the hospitality industry since 1908. We know that when EV drivers are looking for hotels, they will actively seek out those with charging points.”