Gridserve announces motorway electric car charging hubs

Gridserve has announced will open more than twenty ‘electric hubs’ at motorway service stations across the UK by the second quarter of 2022.

The majority, each featuring 6-12 x 350kW ultra high-power EV charge points with contactless payment, are due to be installed by the end of March, with a further 50 additional electric hub sites set to follow.

Also under construction are two electric forecourts situated adjacent to major transport routes and motorways, at Gatwick Airport and Norwich.

The Gatwick site is due to open in autumn 2022 and will feature a café, waiting lounge with free superfast WiFi, convenience supermarket, children’s play area and a dedicated educational space to increase awareness about EVs.

Norwich Electric Forecourt, which is nearing the end of its construction, will be similar to Gatwick and is scheduled to open in April 2022.

Several extra electric forecourt sites now also have planning permission including Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Bromborough, with more than 30 additional sites also under development.

Since Gridserve acquired Ecotricity’s Electric Highway network in June, it has invested tens of millions of pounds in the network to develop the new electric hubs, which replace more than 300 existing motorway chargers it inherited.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve, said: “Our mission is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change, and that is exactly what we are doing – delivering.

“Getting people into electric vehicles is a big part of our vision but to do that charging has to be simple and free of anxiety, which is why we’ve designed our network entirely around the needs of drivers, listening to our customers’ needs and providing the best possible level of customer service to deliver the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today, eight-years ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars.”