As Gridserve gets ready to break ground on the latest of its electric forecourts, they have revealed that – by next summer – EV drivers at Gatwick Airport will be able to fill up quickly and easily using one of 36 high-powered chargers. These 350kW chargers will be a welcome addition to the ring road near the South Terminal of the airport, with the promise of up to 100 miles of additional range in as little as 10 minutes.
As any EV driver who's tried the existing Gridserve Electric Forecourts near Braintree and Norwich will predict, this new location promises to be a state-of-the-art facility with a range of refreshments, comfortable waiting area and superfast wi-fi (with free access).
Gridserve also has one eye on accessibility, with disabled parking, ramps, accessible washrooms and lift access to all areas. This is something that we'll be keen to test when it opens in 2023.
Gridserve's CEO told media: “This is an important step in the construction of our latest Gridserve Electric Forecourt and our journey to creating fully dependable and accessible EV charging across the UK. Whilst timelines are not without their challenges due to multiple global headwinds, we are targeting delivery of Gatwick Electric Forecourt in summer 2023, and as soon as the site is operational visitors will find an outstanding customer experience for those making electric journeys to and from one of the country’s most important transport destinations. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our latest Electric Forecourt as soon as possible next year.”
The airport itself also welcomes this investment. Jonathan Pollard, CCO for Gatwick, said: “It’s fantastic to see construction of the UK’s first airport-based electric charging forecourt get underway at Gatwick. The new Gridserve facility, opening next year, will provide passengers, staff, local residents, businesses and commuters with an excellent, state-of-the-art service, and will help to support Gatwick’s commitment to reaching net zero. It also feeds into our majority stakeholder VINCI Airports’ global environmental action plan to develop carbon-free energy for passengers and users – which is the first in the industry to be applied to a network of 50 airports in 11 countries.”
An extra piece of good/green news is that Gridserve will be looking to supply the site with 100% renewable/net zero carbon electricity – produced by its own hybrid solar farms.
Following quickly on from its first three electric forecourts, Gridserve now has planning permission for additional sites at Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Stevenage – with another 30 sites also under development in the near term – with a target of more than 100 already mapped out.
It will be interesting to see if Gridserve opts to let drivers sit on these chargers until they are full – or if they will implement some kind of time-limit during peak hours.