Jockey Club Venues charges ahead of the field

Jockey Club Venues and Europe’s leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Chargemaster Plc., has announced the installation of electric vehicle (EV) charge points at all 14 of the portfolio’s racecourses.

The first EV charge point began operation at Kempton Park Racecourse yesterday (30th May 2012), with subsequent installations at Sandown Park and Epsom Downs to complete Jockey Club Venues’ three London racecourses. This will be closely followed by Newmarket, Exeter and Wincanton Racecourses.

The move is part of Jockey Club Venues’ sustainability strategy, highlighting initiatives to improve the ease with which conference and events clients can reduce their carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. The points will enable users to fully charge an EV for just 95p, allowing travel of up to 109 miles dependent on the vehicle.

Jockey Club Venues identified Chargemaster Plc. to partner in the project as part of the POLAR initiative. The scheme, endorsed by Transport Minister Norman Baker, is committed to building a network of 4,000 charge points across Britain by the end of 2012 to sustain the expected growth in EVs.

John Baker, The Jockey Club’s Group Director of Operations, said: “The 14 racecourses under the Jockey Club Venues moniker already offer far-reaching CSR policies; these EV charge points will further widen our appeal to those planners who denote sustainability as a criterion for their events. We hope that corporates will switch on to the significant cost savings that can be achieved through electric vehicle travel. This is a world-first for the horseracing industry and a fantastic move for Jockey Club Venues.”

David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster Plc., commented: “We have seen a dramatic increase in the installation of EV charge points in the last twelve months, but this is the first time a racecourse has undergone the process. In the next 18 months, it is predicted that 29 new models of plug-in cars and light vans will be launched to the UK market; Jockey Club Venues will be prepared for the time when EV charge points are a necessity for all venues, not just the select few who are ahead of the rest.”

Demonstrating his support for the initiative, Norman Baker MP, Transport Minister, said: “Drivers are more likely to switch to electric vehicles if they know they can access a reliable network of charging points and so it's great to see The Jockey Club is leading the field and teaming up with Chargemaster.

"We now have more than 6,000 charging point across the country thanks to government investment and forward looking partnerships like this. I hope that today’s announcement will inspire more companies to drive their sites into the future by installing charging points, benefiting staff and customers as well as the environment."

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