Last year saw a massive increase in the number of battery electric vehicles (BEV) sold in the UK – and the charger/infrastructure companies are pushing hard to try and keep pace with demand. One of the leading proponents of fast public charging is Gridserve and in January 2023, it announced the opening of four new electric Super Hubs across the UK. With each charger capable of delivering up to 350kW of net zero carbon energy, this is good news for EV drivers and the environment. WhichEV looks closer at the details.
The Gridserve Electric Forecourt in Braintree is a visionary piece of development, but there are few locations in the UK where that kind of development is feasible right now.
Building on the knowledge it has gained by installing over 100 high-powered chargers in 2022, Gridserve carried its momentum into 2023 with the addition of 32 new high-powered chargers. So where are they located?
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Drivers heading to/from Basingstoke and East Devon will appreciate the addition of 8x new 350kW capable chargers at Solstice Park.
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Pease Pottage is just south of Gatwick and on one of the busiest stretches of road in the UK – connecting south London to Brighton – and Gridserve will be adding 6x high powered chargers here.
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If you're heading westbound at Reading, you will now be able to plug into one of a dozen 350kW chargers – although it's worth noting that these are likely to be very busy during peak times.
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One of two main connections between London and Birmingham, Cherwell Valley sits between Bicester and Banbury – an area that is amazingly well served by charger companies – who will now be able to access another 6x high-powered units.
With the exception of Solstice Park, the new chargers will be located at Moto Service Stations and should be easy to find. They have all now been ‘uploaded' onto ZapMap and the other charger locations apps.
Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve, told media, “We are thrilled to be building on the great progress we made in 2022 with four new Electric Super Hub locations opening in January alone. As the demand for electric vehicles and charging increases, it is vital we continue this pace to roll out the installation of High Power chargers to support EV drivers and those making the switch to electric. We look forward to continuing our vast expansion throughout the rest of 2023.”
All Gridserve chargers feature CCS and CHAdeMO connectors with contactless payment and real-time status updates while you charge
From 169 locations across the UK, Gridserve already delivers enough charge for 10 million EV miles every month. When you think of how much petrol/diesel is NOT being used for those miles, it's easy to understand just how important this kind of development of the UK's transport infrastructure really is. That's close to 2 million litres of fossil fuel that is not being burned into the atmosphere.
Gridserve aims to be a tech-enabled, sustainable energy business that is looking to ‘move the needle' on climate change with a ‘sun-to-wheel' ecosystem that includes advanced hybrid solar + battery farms, award-winning electric vehicle charging infrastructure, and a customer-centric electric vehicle leasing platform.
If Gridserve installed 100 chargers across the whole of 2022, but has already managed 32 in January 2023 – then you have to expect some record numbers by the end of this year. Here's hoping that their competitors match that effort – so that between them, they quickly build the charging network we need for a carbon-free future.
We definitely appreciate the amount of night-time illumination and friendly colour scheme.
