Shoppers at Lidl will soon be able to make payments for electric vehicle charging (EVC) via the discount supermarket’s loyalty app.

Lidl claims it the first supermarket in Britain to integrate payments for EVC into a rewards app.

There are currently over 370 charge points at Lidl supermarkets across the UK which use the Pod Point app as a payment system.

Lidl said it will transition payments to its Lidl Plus rewards app over the summer, expecting the transition to be fully completed by the end of the year.

The company added that it has invested over £15 million into its EVC infrastructure, claiming it has one of the highest proportions of rapid chargers across Britain’s supermarkets.

“I’m incredibly proud of the investment that we’ve made into our EV charging infrastructure over the years, going above and beyond the sector to give greater access to rapid charging,” said Richard Taylor, chief development officer at Lidl. “Since we opened our first store 30 years ago.

“Lidl has contributed to a shift in the way that people shop for their groceries, and this is the latest example of how we’re doing just that, so that we can further enhance our customers’ shopping experience.”

In June, Sainsbury’s launched the UK’s first electric vehicle charging service which allows customers to collect loyalty points.

The supermarket said shoppers using Smart Charge will be able to collect one Nectar point for every pound they spend on charging their vehicle.

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