Duracell is rolling out EV chargers that look like giant 9V batteries – and I’m fully on board

• Duracell is planning to roll out its first charging stations in the UK
• The first sites will open this year
• Expect to see more, with hundreds planned by 2030

You can spot a Duracell battery from a mile off – and now the company’s iconic black-and-bronze branding is coming to EV charging points.

Designed to resemble the brand’s giant batteries (you know, the kind a certain bunny advocates), the electric vehicle charging infrastructure will be funded by The EV Network and installed by Elektra Charge in the UK. There's currently no word on a global rollout.

According to an article by The Times, six sites will come online by the end of the year, with a plan to open 100 more with at least 500 charging points by 2030. If successful, more could roll out across Europe and further afield.

Mark Bloxham, the chief development officer of EVN, says that a "lack of familiarity with charging" can prove a stumbling block for some of those on the fence about adopting electric propulsion, but Bloxham feels that bringing a household name into the marketplace can give that “familiarity and trust immediately to the consumer,” he told The Times.

Alongside resembling the sort of giant single cell, cylindrical batteries that power toys, each charging outlet will be capable of charging two cars at a time, delivering speeds of about 400kW, ranking them among some of the fastest chargers currently available in Europe.

The network provider also says the charging sites will offer clear and transparent pricing, as well as ability to pay in-app, via contactless or with plug-and-go technology should it be supported by the EV in question.

A simple but effective move

Mark Bloxham, the chief development officer of The EV Network, is right when he says that familiarity is key to encouraging electric vehicle adoption – the technology still feels very new and often confusing for those on the fence.

We’ve had over a hundred years to get used to the gas pump, but the thought of plugging in to an often confusing and relatively complex EV outlet is enough to put potential customers off for good. Perhaps if it looks like something they instantly recognize, it won’t feel so alien.

The Duracell branding is universally recognized and synonymous with ensuring that electric gadgetry goes further and lasts longer – everyone in the UK will have seen the ad with the hyperactive bunny rabbit.

While the rollout of a Duracell E-Charge network in the UK won’t actually offer anything particularly new or innovative, it will deliver impressively quick charging speeds and the sort of brand familiarity that could convince naysayers that the network is strong enough to rely on.

At the very least, it offers the perfect opportunity to snap some social media content while your EV slurps juice from a giant Duracell battery.

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