(Bloomberg) -- A U.K. electric vehicle charge-point firm will waive its deal to be the only operator at some motorway service stations after the British antitrust regulator raised competition concerns.
Gridserve Holdings Ltd., which owns the Electric Highway, agreed to not enforce exclusivity rights in its contracts with motorway service stations Extra Msa Services Ltd., Moto Hospitality Ltd., or Roadchef Ltd. beyond November 2026, according to a statement on Tuesday from the Competition and Markets Authority.
The CMA opened a market study into EV charging after the government committed to ban new sales of petrol and diesel cars from 2030. While Stellantis NV, Bentley Motors Ltd. and Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc all announced plans to electrify, the CMA found that a lack of choice and availability of charge points could stop people switching.
Read more: U.K. Carmakers Seek New Regulator to Bolster EV Charging Push
“We need a combination of investment now and healthy competition going forward to make sure charge points are installed at scale where people need them, for a fair price,” Ann Pope, the CMA's senior director of antitrust, said in a statement.
The three service stations, which make up around two-thirds of motorway service areas in the U.K., have promised not to take any action, the CMA said. Gridserve has also agreed to not enforce exclusivity at stations which are granted government funding for EV charging.
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