IKEA just unveiled a massive bet on electric cars
From solar panel systems to wind power, Ikea wants to make itself known as sustainability champion. It's latest pet project could be its most audacious to date: electric vehicles.
Ikea’s acting Head of Sustainability Pia Heidenmark-Cook revealed the Swedish furniture chain’s global bet on EV’s at an event at the New York Climate Week.
In practice, it means that 355 Ikea stores on 30 different markets will switch entirely to electric car transportation and infrastructure.
“The initiative concerns our own vehicles at the department stores and offices, but it also includes the partners who take care of our home deliveries. Moreover, we will install charging pods at all department stores to encourage both our employees and customers to switch to electric vehicles,” she told Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).
Ikea hopes to boost sales for EV manufacturers and hence reduce the prices on electric vehicles. The relatively high prices of EV's are currently holding many potential buyers back, according to Pia Heidenmark-Cook.
Ikea is part of a coalition of ten global corporates, called EV100, that announced its support for electric vehicles this week. Ikea is joined by companies including Unilever, DHL, HP, Baidu and Swedish energy company Vattenfall.
"We want to make electric transport the normal," said Helen Clarkson, CEO for The Climate Group, the international nonprofit spearheading the effort.
Ikea sees the initiative, which runs towards 2030, as a springboard for making further investments.
“We are also looking at the possibility of investing in companies that promote the transition towards electric cars, or entering long-term partnership to show that this is important,” says Heidenmark-Cook to DN.