Ecotricity and Gridserve have opened the largest high-power electric vehicle charging station in the UK motorway network, launching their electric motorway joint initiative.
The Rugby site is the first new motorway service of any kind to be opened in the UK for 13 years. It is equipped with 12 ultra-fast chargers of 350 kW, supplied by Gridserve and Ecotricity.
According to companies, these chargers have the capacity to add up to 200 miles of electric range in about 10 minutes. They offer all three types of connection – CCS, Type 2 AC and Chademo – and accept contactless card payment.
12 other chargers will be added to the Rugby site at a later date, as part of the partnership between the two companies, through which Gridserve has acquired a 25% stake in Ecotricity’s electric motorway network.
Electric Highway founder Dale Vince said, “We started building the Electric Highway 10 years ago, and Moto [the company that owns the forecourt at the Rugby site] were one of our founding partners.
“Back then, peak load was only 7 kW, and today we are at 350 kW in just a decade. This is our very first high power installation, and this new technology is just coming to a tipping point in the adoption of electric vehicles. “
The station, which follows the launch of the UK’s first EV-specific forecourt by Gridserve in December, is part of a larger Electric Road initiative to improve the UK’s charging infrastructure.
To this end, Gridserve and Ecotricity plan to open similar sites in Reading, Thurrock and Exeter by the end of 2021.
Moto, moreover, expects to have 28 sites with ultra-fast chargers on the same date. It aims to bring at least six fast chargers to each Moto station by the end of 2023.
Earlier this year, senior figures in the auto industry, including the head of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, called for a “massive investment” in electric vehicle charging infrastructure to meet increased demand ahead of the UK’s planned 2030 ban on the sale of brand new ICE cars.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-04-30 10:53:04
