RTR4NAGJ
IN PHOTO: A shopper walks past a sign outside an IKEA store in Wembley, north London January 28, 2015. IKEA Group, the world's biggest furniture retailer, posted on Wednesday a fiscal full-year net profit that was unchanged from the year before and said the European market continued to improve. REUTERS/Neil Hall

By the end of this summer, IKEA, the Swedish home furnishings giant plans to have free electric car-charging stations in Canada. It plans to install them at all the 12 stores in the country. CBC news reported that IKEA has planned to complete it by August. The 60-amp charging stations would come at no cost instead depend on first come first serve basis.

On Thursday, at the Climate Summit of the Americas IKEA announced its plans and confirmed that it would start with two chargers per store. The chargers that are to be installed would be compatible with all the electric vehicles up for sale in the country. Almost 25 million Canadians visit all the stores across the year.

According to CBC news, the chargers would be capable enough to charge 80 percent of an electric car within three hours and the Canadian energy firm Sun Country Highway would be in charge of the installations. It had taken such an initiative to release “range anxiety” among drivers driving in the highways and also because of its stores location primarily next to major highways.

IKEA’s sustainability manager Brenden Seale confirmed that this initiative is considered to be a step to ensure over all sustainability. Last year, it has achieved almost 100 percent renewable energy use by making thorough investments in a wind farm in Alberta, solar panels In Ontario stores and a large geothermal installation in Manitoba.

The chronicle Herald reported that Stefan Sjostrand, the President of IKEA Canada re-emphasised company’s commitment to sustainability.

Contact the writer on priya.shayani@gmail.com

RELATED STORIES