Gridserve will open more than 20 ‘Electric Hubs’, each with up to a dozen 350kW chargers with contactless payment, at motorway service stations by Q2 2022, it has said. A following phase will add a further 50 sites.
The company also said two Electric Forecourts®, similar to one in Braintree, Essex, are also in construction and due to open in 2022. One is next to Gatwick Airport and one in Norwich. More than 30 more are under development towards its target of over 100.
The latest Electric Hubs are:
• Under construction: Swansea (Moto), Heston West (Moto), Severn View (Moto), Wetherby (Moto), Burton in Kendall (Moto), Exeter (Moto), Woolley Edge North (Moto), Woolley Edge South (Moto), Thurrock (Moto), Leigh Delamere Westbound (Moto), Reading West (Moto).
• In construction early next year: Reading East (Moto), Grantham North (Moto), Scotch Corner (Moto), Washington North (Moto), Washington South (Moto), Cornwall Services, Annandale (Roadchef), Magor (Roadchef), Rownhams North (Roadchef), Durham (Roadchef), Watford Gap North (Roadchef), Watford Gap South (Roadchef), Northampton North (Roadchef), Northampton South (Roadchef), Strensham North (Roadchef), Strensham South (Roadchef)
The latest Electric Forecourts® are:
• Under construction: Norwich (opening April 2022), Gatwick (opening Autumn 2022).
• Planning permission secured: Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth, Bromborough.
The Gatwick site, on the Ring Road South approach to Gatwick’s South Terminal and adjacent to the M23, will enable 36 EVs to be charged simultaneously. The site is due to open in autumn 2022 with a café, waiting lounge with WiFi, convenience supermarket, children’s play area and a dedicated educational space to increase awareness around electric vehicles.
Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “Gatwick isn’t just an airport, it’s an ecosystem of commuters, travellers, staff, taxi drivers, car rental companies, local residents and businesses, all culminating in a transport hub that hosts tens of millions of drivers every single year. The Gatwick Electric Forecourt® will give these drivers and businesses the confidence to switch away from petrol and diesel cars, making electric journeys to and from one of the country’s most important transport hubs straightforward and sustainable.”
Jonathan Pollard, Chief Commercial Officer, Gatwick Airport, said: “Gatwick is pleased to partner with Gridserve to deliver this fantastic and sustainable service. We are on a journey to create a low carbon economy, and Gatwick is keen to play an important role by providing new infrastructure that everyone can use, so that together we can start reducing our dependence on fossil fuels.
Gridserve is also developing large-scale hybrid solar + battery farms to supply renewable solar energy as part of a “sun-to-wheel” ecosystem.