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Gridserve has opened the first of 100 “Electric Forecourts” the company plans to build in the UK over next five years at Braintree in Essex.
The station near Great Notley just off the A131 has the capacity to charge 36 electric vehicles at the same time at rates of up to 350kW.
The chargers will be supplied with electricity from solar panels on the canopies as well as solar farms operated by Gridserve and a 6MWh onsite battery that can store enough power to provide around 24,000 miles of driving range.
Gridserve founder and chief executive Toddington Harper said: “It’s our collective responsibility to prevent greenhouse gas emissions rising further and electric vehicles powered by clean energy represent a large part of the solution.
“However, charging has to be simple and free of anxiety, which is why we’ve designed our Electric Forecourts entirely around the needs of drivers, updating the traditional petrol station model for a net-zero carbon world and delivering the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today – a full decade ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars.”
Gridserve has previously announced plans to build £1 billion network of 100 Electric Forecourts across the UK over the next half a decade. Back in April, the UK arm of Hitachi Capital agreed to lend “tens of millions” of pounds to the firm to fund the buildout.
Alongside the opening of the first charging station, the partners have also announced the launch of a new leasing service for electric vehicles, which they claim is the UK’s first.
“Together with our charging-included electric vehicle leasing business, that we are also launching today in partnership with Hitachi Capital, people now have the full confidence to make the transition to an electric vehicle, knowing that charging is in-hand and it’s actually less expensive to use an electric car than a petrol or diesel alternative,” said Harper.
Robert Gordon, chief executive of Hitachi Capital UK, said: “Our partnership with Gridserve is a total game-changer for electric mobility.
“Not only are we providing electric vehicles at some of the most competitive rates on the market, but we are at the same time developing a network of rapid, reliable and renewably powered Electric Forecourts that will fast-track the electric vehicle revolution in the UK as we prepare for a zero-carbon future.”
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