“Biggest motorway EV charging upgrade in UK history” underway, plus world-first airport “Electric Forecourt”

The sustainable energy company GRIDSERVE says it’s undertaking the biggest upgrade of motorway electric vehicle charging infrastructure in UK history with more than 20 ‘Electric Hubs’.

Each of these features between six and twele 350kW ultra high-power chargers with contactless payment and CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in less than 10 minutes. They will open at motorway service stations across the UK by the middle of next year, with the majority planned to be installed by the end of March. In the next phase a further 50 additional Electric Hub sites will follow.

Two Electric Forecourts® situated adjacent to major transport routes and motorways, including a flagship site at Gatwick Airport – the first in the world to be hosted at an international airport – and Norwich, are also in construction, due to open in 2022. Several additional Electric Forecourt® sites now also have planning permission including Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Bromborough, with more than 30 additional sites also under development as part of the company’s commitment to deliver over 100 Electric Forecourts®.

The company calls it an unprecedented investment programme forming part of GRIDSERVE’s plan to revolutionise EV charging across the UK, following the acquisition of Ecotricity’s Electric Highway network in June. Some of the Electric Hubs are also located in areas traditionally left behind in the EV transition, including Wales and Cornwall, helping to deliver GRIDSERVE’s vision of giving drivers everywhere the confidence to go electric well ahead of the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

“Our mission is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change, and that is exactly what we are doing – delivering,” said CEO Toddington Harper. “Getting people into electric vehicles is a big part of our vision but to do that, charging has to be simple and free of anxiety, which is why we’ve designed our network entirely around the needs of drivers, listening to our customers’ needs and providing the best possible level of customer service to deliver the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today, 8-years ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars.”

Developed in partnership with Gatwick Airport, the Gatwick Electric Forecourt® – the first in the world to be hosted at an international airport – will be a flagship site, serving the tens of millions of passengers, commuters, staff, local residents and businesses that pass through the airport and its surrounding motorway network each year.

Located on the Ring Road South approach to Gatwick’s South Terminal and adjacent to the M23 – it will enable 36 EVs to be charged simultaneously, with high-power chargers that can deliver up to 350 kW of charging power, capable of adding 100 miles of range in less than 10 minutes. Multiple charging connectors will cater for all types of electric cars.

(Picture – GRIDSERVE)

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