Next up in the charge point operator (CPO) interview chair is… Mer! Backed by Statkraft, Mer combines technological innovation with green energy to power EVs across the UK and Europe. In this blog, we’ll explore how Mer is helping to build a smarter, cleaner future - one charge at a time!
We sat down with Elizabeth Warren, Director of Public Charging at Mer UK, to hear more about it!
Let’s get plugged in…
To further its commitment to a low-emission society, Statkraft, Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy, wanted to invest in EV charging. After completing multiple acquisitions, Mer is now one company present in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Austria. The tight collaboration across countries allows Mer to make the most of its Northern European experience in both public and fleet charging.
In total Mer has over 45,000 chargers across Europe, in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom.
Sustainability is a core value at Mer, not just because of our backing from Statkraft. We are taking initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and have released sustainability reports detailing where we are in our sustainable journey (available on Mer.eco) since 2022. In the UK, Mer has been a proud supporter of Rewilding Britain for the past three years. Rewilding Britain is a country-wide organisation that focuses on rewilding. Acknowledging the impact it can have on reversing biodiversity loss and mitigating climate heating, their vision is to ‘expand the scale, quality and connectivity of Britain’s native habitats’ to see 30% of our land and sea restored for nature by 2030.
The industry has dramatically evolved, especially over the past decade. It’s amazing to see how EV chargers are getting more powerful and faster. While the technology is moving at a fast rate, people’s behaviours are only starting to change recently. Our customer surveys show that people are starting to favour going to a place with amenities, if you have twenty minutes to spend, why not be productive?
As well, there has been a move away from just installing chargers everywhere, the early days were a bit of a Wild West situation where nobody had the data to understand customer behaviours. A decade on and a lot has been learnt, which has meant Mer puts a lot of consideration into picking the right sites.
For the industry as a whole, the technology boost has meant that a lot of the naysayers are starting to struggle a bit in their critiques and overall, I think people are a lot more receptive to EVs than a decade ago. EVs are also a lot more affordable and varied, with so many options being released. It’s amazing to see how much quieter city streets are becoming with more EVs on the road!
Often historic sites are in areas which have no EV charging coverage, if the public are expected to adopt EVs then we cannot have any gaps in the UK. While historic sites present a unique challenge, our expertise in installing ultra-modern charging while preserving the cultural heritage of the UK has led to us working on several listed monuments such as at Middle Chare and Wallaston Fields. At the moment, one of our latest sites is next to an old Roman road so we’re currently working with archaeologists to ensure that nothing is damaged.
User experience for E drivers is important to us. Not everyone will be familiar with the charging process which also depends on the charger's model. To assist drivers in navigating the charging landscape with ease, we have detailed user instructions on all our chargers and have created chargers’ tutorials in video and written format available on our website and YouTube channel. We also send regular customer satisfaction surveys to gather valuable feedback and insights from drivers and a monthly informative newsletter with charging tips and updates on our network.
Practicality is key, as mentioned before when EV charging started to receive wider attention many organisations were installing chargers in all sorts of random places. This led to many sites being underutilised, while other areas were starved of investment.
Mer, drawing on our experience in Norway, knew that we had to be highly selective in where chargers should go. Before anything else, the current energy capacity of the site must be analysed; no power, no chargers. This helps both the client and Mer to understand the budgetary and work requirements for the project.
Next, we take into consideration the traffic in the area. This is to understand how many chargers are required for the site. There’s no point in installing lots of chargers if they aren’t going to be used, and we don’t want to unnecessarily crowd out the rest of the carpark.
Finally, we must ask the question: is the site going to provide a safe and pleasant experience for all customers? How can we ensure that the chargers are accessible to everyone? Are there facilities and amenities that drivers need? Also, if people are going to be charging at night, is the area well lit? EV charging was more of a male-dominated field back in the day and so some charging areas did not take into consideration whether people felt safe and secure on location.
Mer offers a wide range of chargers depending on the needs of the site. From 22kW fast chargers which you might plug in overnight to take advantage of our lower night tariff, to our ultra-rapid 400kW which in some cases can take a battery to 80% charge in ten minutes.
Mer will continue to promote the long term and sustainable development of the UK’s EV charging infrastructure. Our aim will remain to support the development of sustainable transportation through helping landlords, businesses and local authorities achieve their ESG goals and help drivers move to EVs with confidence in the charging network.
Partnerships like the one between Electroverse and Mer are crucial for getting the public onboard with the transition to EVs. Remember how much hassle it was before Oyster Cards and contactless pay when you wanted to go on the tube? Ensuring payment is as smooth as possible for customers is imperative. Electroverse has created the obvious solution through its unified payments, the fact that it shows up on the customers energy bills is icing on the cake!
I remember vividly visiting the Fully Charged Show a few years ago and I saw a retrofitted Jaguar Mark 2 convertible. Turns out it was built for Noel Gallagher! It’s been on my mind ever since!
We once did a 2,000 mile round trip down to Lac de l’Uby in the South of France. The whole experience was extremely pleasant and we found that we were doing two and a half hours of driving before charging each time, which fit our routine anyway - having two young boys cooped up in a car for long drives always necessitates these stops anyway! It was amazing to see how the network of EV chargers has really come together, making EV road trips simple!
Don’t waste time waiting at the charger, charge yourself instead! Go for a walk, go shopping, or grab a bite to eat!
Two key points really, check out your Electroverse offers and sign up to our app. The Mer Connect UK app allows you to start and stop your charging session while tracking progress and costs. It also includes a full map of our network which you can filter to the right connector type and availability.
Once you’ve finished charging at 80% move on! You don’t do it in petrol stations, why do it while charging an EV? After 80% the charging speed is extremely low, and you’ll be there for hours, it’s not necessary to go to 100%.
Feeling enlightened or do you think something was missing? Let us know by sharing your feedback.
Interested in learning more? Head over to our Electroverse Community area for more electrifying content!
