Beyond the charger: the values behind ElectRoad

EV charging may be the most visible expression of ElectRoad’s sustainability story, but for founder Richard Seppings, environmental responsibility reaches far beyond the technology his business delivers. At Broome Beck Meadow, a 25-acre nature reserve owned and nurtured by Richard and his wife Lucy, those values take a very different form.

ElectRoad will arrive at Glee this September with a clear commercial proposition: helping destination retailers make EV charging simpler, smarter and more viable. But behind the chargers, infrastructure and energy management sits a much broader outlook on sustainability - one shaped not only by business, but by a long-term commitment to the natural environment.

A landscape allowed to develop

That commitment is perhaps most personally expressed at Broome Beck Meadow. Over time, Richard and Lucy have helped create a place where wildlife is observed, recorded and given the space to flourish. Detailed, multi-year surveys have built up an evolving picture of the species that depend on the meadow and the wider habitat around it.

Records include wrens, blue tits and long-tailed tits, alongside buzzards, kestrels, sparrowhawks, red kites and several species of owl. More than 20 species of butterfly have been documented, while the meadow supports a rich mix of wildflowers including cowslip, yellow rattle, field scabious, bird’s-foot trefoil and oxeye daisy, as well as bee and pyramidal orchids.

The species lists are impressive, but their real value lies in what they reveal about the site as a whole. Broome Beck Meadow is not being treated as a static landscape. It is being watched carefully over time, allowing changes in biodiversity to be understood and giving Richard and Lucy a deeper appreciation of the way the habitat is developing.

Lucy captures that relationship with the land in Field Notes from Broome Beck Meadow: “Restoring Broome Beck Meadow has been a deeply personal journey. My hope is to inspire others to see what’s possible when nature is allowed to take the lead. This land has given us so much – solace, joy, inspiration, and purpose – and we are wholeheartedly committed to nurturing it in return.”

Broome Beck Meadow is not an ElectRoad project, nor does it need to be presented as one. What it does offer is a personal insight into the values of the people behind the business. Environmental responsibility is clearly not something that begins and ends with EV charging.

From personal values to business thinking

Those values inevitably influence the way ElectRoad approaches its own role in the transition to cleaner transport.

Rather than viewing sustainability simply as a label attached to electric vehicle infrastructure, the business focuses on practical ways to make energy use more intelligent and efficient. That can mean assessing how much existing electrical capacity a site already has before recommending further investment, integrating charging with solar generation where appropriate, or using battery storage to help businesses make better use of renewable energy.

ElectRoad also works with local electrical contractors wherever possible, supporting regional supply chains while giving customers access to expertise that is close at hand. These are commercial and operational decisions, but they reflect a broader way of thinking: use what already exists wisely, make improvements where they are needed, and take a long-term view rather than defaulting to the biggest or most complex solution.

For Richard, that is where the relationship between environmental responsibility and commercial thinking becomes most relevant. Sustainability has to work in practice.

A message that resonates with garden retail

That philosophy feels especially relevant to the garden retail sector. Garden centres operate in a space where commercial success and environmental awareness naturally intersect. They sell products rooted in plants and landscapes, serve customers who are increasingly conscious of sustainability, and at the same time face the same commercial pressures as every other retail business.

For those businesses, the challenge is not simply to be seen to make greener choices, but to invest in solutions that also support the long-term strength of the business. That is where ElectRoad believes EV charging has a role to play.

Destination charging can give customers another useful service while supporting the wider transition to cleaner transport. When it is designed around the way a site actually operates - including customer behaviour, available power and existing renewable generation - it can become part of a broader sustainability strategy without losing sight of commercial reality.

ElectRoad’s proposition is therefore not based on sustainability at any cost. It is about finding the point where environmental benefit and business sense meet.

Beyond the charger

At Glee, the conversation around ElectRoad will understandably begin with charging points, energy infrastructure and the opportunities EV adoption presents to destination retailers. Broome Beck Meadow tells another part of the story. It provides a glimpse into the outlook of the people behind the business and a commitment to environmental stewardship that exists independently of ElectRoad’s commercial activity.

For Richard and Lucy Seppings, that commitment is visible in a 25-acre meadow where wildlife is being recorded year after year and where the value of allowing nature time and space to develop is understood first-hand.

For ElectRoad, the expression is different: smarter energy use, cleaner transport, renewable integration and infrastructure designed with the longer term in mind. The two do not need to be the same story to share the same values.

And perhaps that is what gives ElectRoad’s sustainability ambitions greater substance. They are not confined to the charger, the car park or the working day. They form part of a much broader belief that environmental responsibility and progress should be capable of moving in the same direction.

See the full story at Glee

Meet ElectRoad at Glee 2026, 8th – 10th September at the NEC Birmingham, and discover how destination EV charging can support commercial growth while helping businesses plan for a lower-carbon future.

To explore what destination charging could look like for your site, visit electroad.network or contact the ElectRoad team to arrange an initial conversation.