The Electric Hubs will feature six to twelve 350kW ultra high-power chargers with contactless payment, and will be capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in less than ten minutes. The majority are planned to be installed by the end of March, with a further 50 additional sites to follow in the next phase.
Two Electric Forecourts situated adjacent to major transport routes and motorways, including a flagship site at Gatwick Airport, are also in construction and due to open in 2022. Several additional sites now also have planning permission, with more than 30 additional sites also under development as part of the company's commitment to deliver over 100 Electric Forecourts.
The investment programme forms part of GRIDSERVE’s mission 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.
Since the acquisition, GRIDSERVE has invested tens of millions of pounds in the network to develop the new Electric Hubs, replace over 300 existing motorway chargers it inherited from Ecotricity, and install 130 additional AC chargers to cater for all EV types.
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“Our mission is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change, and that is exactly what we are doing – delivering,” said Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE.
Harper added that to deliver those goals and get people into EVs ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars, charging has to be ‘simple and free of anxiety’.
The flagship Electric Forecourt at Gatwick will be the world’s first to be deployed at an international airport. It will enable 36 EVs to be charged simultaneously and will also be supplied with 100 per cent renewable energy generated by GRIDSERVE’s own solar farms.
It forms part of Gatwick Airport’s goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions for its internal operations before 2040, and broader aspirations to become the UK’s most sustainable airport, including through involvement in UK industry plans to reach net zero aircraft emissions by 2050.
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Perhaps a Longtitude prize to solve railway line problems. "extreme heat causing further disruption through rail buckling and power line...