BMW UK and National Parks UK announced a new three-year partnership, called Recharge in Nature, that will help to make the 15 National Parks more accessible for electric cars.
The partnership will also support nature restoration, biodiversity, sustainability and well-being projects across the Parks.
The UK’s 15 National Parks are visited over 100 million times each year and 90 percent of these visits are made by car.
With the growth of demand for electric cars, which account for 14 percent of new car sales in the UK, pressure on the limited recharging networks in the National Parks is growing.
BMW’s Recharge in Nature project will enhance this network with the installation of Pod Point recharging posts at key locations across the 15 UK National Parks.
The Lake District National Park is the first location, where the installation of recharging posts has already started.
Over the next three years, BMW UK will also work with National Parks UK to support locally delivered initiatives through the Recharge in Nature Fund.
The first Recharge in Nature Fund grant will support the restoration of dew ponds in the South Downs National Park. It will then roll out to support projects within Snowdonia, Dartmoor and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs in 2023, with projects at the other 11 National Parks to be confirmed.
Chris Brownridge, CEO, BMW UK, commented, “Enhancing the EV recharging network in the UK’s National Parks will help to make these favourite destinations more accessible for the increasing numbers of drivers who choose an electric car, as well as to support local communities in their shift to the new technology.
Richard Leafe, CEO, Lake District National Park, said, “In the Lake District, we are aiming to be a net zero National Park by 2037 and one of the best ways to achieve this is by reducing carbon emissions from visitor travel.”
