AN AWARD-WINNING restaurant and hotel chain has opened the beauty of the Brecon Beacons to drivers of electric vehicles by installing the region’s first dedicated charging points.
Taste Inn Wales has fitted charging stations at its four properties – Peterstone Court, The Nantyffin Cider Mill, The Castle, and The Manor – allowing EV motorists to reach the heart of the National Park and west Wales.
The group’s owners, Sean Gerrard and Glyn and Jessica Bridgeman, had the chargers installed after taking delivery of their own Nissan LEAF from Cwmbran Nissan retailer Newtown Motors.
The LEAF – the world’s bestselling pure-electric car – is not only one of the cleanest cars on the roads today, but it also offers staggeringly low running costs of as little as two pence per mile. This makes it the perfect vehicle for the hotel team to make the daily journey between their four properties and make deliveries from their own organic farm.
A delighted Sean said: “We cover about 1,800 miles and spend about £440 a month just driving between our four properties and were thinking what we could do to reduce that.
“We came across the Nissan LEAF and when we looked into it and took a test drive it just became a no-brainer.”
He added: “There is an obvious environmental benefit to the car in the fact that it’s zero emissions but that’s not what it’s all about for us.
“We try to be green – we have our own biomass boilers and use produce reared and grown on the family farm – but for us the LEAF just made perfect sense from a business point of view.”
By installing specialist 32amp charging points at their properties, with help from Zero Carbon World and Powys County Council, the hoteliers have contributed to the nation’s rapidly expanding charging infrastructure and have opened their business and the region as a destination for electric vehicle drivers and eco tourists.
Sean said: “The electric vehicle charging network in the UK is fantastic and there are chargers at motorway service stations and other convenient locations up and down the country but this part of Wales was a bit thin on the ground.
“Now we have installed the charging points, EV drivers can enjoy the Beacons and get right across to Pembrokeshire without any hassle.”
Glyn Davies, Dealer Principal at Newtown Motors on Somerset Road, Cwmbran, said: “It’s terrific to see a local business like Taste Inn Wales understanding the clear business benefits of the Nissan LEAF.
“So many businesses and motorists drive regular journeys that are easily within the range of the LEAF and they could be saving so much money by making the switch.”
For more information about Taste Inn Wales and the location of its four properties and charging stations, visit www.tasteinnwales.com or call 01874 665387. For more information about the Nissan LEAF or to book a 24-hour test drive call Newtown Motors now on 01633 485251.
