Case Study – IWG Shows How Businesses Can Support Sustainable Transport Solutions

IWG plc is the world’s largest workspace provider, providing a choice of professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces, communities and services as hybrid working and digitalisation have transformed the business landscape.

Through their companies – Regus, Spaces, No. 18, Basepoint, Open Office and Signature – IWG enables flexible working choices, creating personal, financial and strategic value for businesses from tiny start-ups to large multinationals. 

IWG understands the importance of EV charging infrastructure for their customers

IWG, who are committed to being fully carbon neutral within five years, realised that clients would be much better able to make sustainable transport choices – such as transitioning to an EV or hybrid vehicle – if a number of their UK worksites had EV charging stations.   

This is especially important given a third of UK households don’t have access to off-street parking, and therefore their own private charging facilities. 

IWG decided that Mer, owned by Europe’s largest renewable energy producer Statkraft, were the perfect choice to install cutting-edge charging infrastructure at a number of their sites. 

Through the installation of EV chargers, IWG’s customers are now able to use EVs for short trips to their flexible workspace – with the convenience of then being able to charge them while they work or attend a meeting. 

Straightforward EV charging solutions from Mer

Mer first installed EV semi-rapid chargers at four of IWG’s worksites: Regus Atterbury Lakes, Milton Keynes; Spaces Globe Park, Marlow; Regus Chester Business Park and Basepoint’s Bromsgrove Enterprise Park. 

The service is being rolled out at 30 IWG-owned UK workspaces, offering customers more environmentally friendly transport options.

At the start of the EV installation process, Mer and IWG work together by evaluating each site. The location is chosen according to several dependencies, including: 

• IWG preference. 
• The proximity to the electrical switch room within the building.
• And, where possible, the installers utilise three parking bays to create two EV bays – which makes the charging bays wider than standard 

Customers can then use several charging methods including the Mer app, the Mer charge card, their web browser with the ‘Mer Driver Portal’ or via our roaming partners.  They have the choice to charge as a guest user or a registered customer. 

“Our customers are very happy with the new electric vehicle charge points. Giving people the freedom to work how and where they want is at the heart of the hybrid model, so it’s brilliant that we can offer them the added convenience of being able to charge their electric vehicles while they work.”

Darren Brooks, Community Manager, at IWG-owned SPACES workshop in Marlow, Bucks 

Each IWG site has two of Mer’s 25kW DC semi-rapid chargers – which can boost an EVs charge to 80% in around 1-2 hours.  

This makes them a great choice for workspace environments like IWG’s, where guests can add approximately 100 miles to their vehicles in less than an hour.  

The chargers have a fixed charging cable with a CCS connector for ease of use – the most common connector on current EV models. 

“Sustainability has never been more important for people when they choose brands they want to work with, or for. What we are seeing is that – when companies offer EV charging – it is both a great incentive and something their customers and clients greatly appreciate.”

Anthony Hinde, Mer UK’s Managing Director