Gridserve starts work on nationwide network of ‘Electric Forecourts’

Gridserve has begun work on the first in a nationwide network of more than 100 “Electric Forecourts” near Braintree in Essex.

The facility will be able to charge up to 24 electric vehicles (EVs) at a time. Half of the bays will have access to a superfast 350kW charger, although neighbouring pairs will share power supplies. The rest will have access to a slower 90kW charger.

With no EVs currently on the market that are even able to charge at 350kW, Gridserve chief executive Toddington Harper says its capabilities are “pretty extreme” and “way more” that most drivers will be able to utilise. The chargers will be supported by a 5MW battery system with a storage capacity of 7MWh.

The company revealed plans for the charging network in February last year after signing a deal with Warrington Borough Council to build two new subsidy-free solar farms in York and Hull, the first of which was completed in December.

Harper said these and other similar solar farms it plans to build in future will be co-located with its charging stations to form “solar electric forecourts”.

This will not be the case for the first forecourt in Essex, where Gridserve was unable to find a suitable site for a solar farm. However, the facility will be supplied with power generated from the company’s solar portfolio elsewhere around the country and panels fitted to the canopies above the charging bays.

There will also be a two-story building. The first floor will contain a coffee shop and an express supermarket, whilst on the second there will be an airport-style lounge, meeting rooms and an EV education centre.

Harper told Utility Week they are seeking to address “a massive knowledge gap” among potential EV drivers on various topics, from what models are available to buy to how to get the most range out of your battery.

Since unveiling the proposals, the firm has taken its “high-level concept” and worked with specialists in forecourt and car showroom design to “really bring the whole thing to life”. A car lift will allow vehicles to be taken upstairs for display.

He said the company has also been looking at the possibility of selling EVs and charging equipment from the forecourt, including offering test drives. Some partners will be announced at the end of April and one even sooner.

“We’re not going to sell cars ourselves in the context that it’s not really our strength,” he added. “But what we are doing is partnering with someone who has all of these capabilities so that customers will be able to walk away with a range of types of vehicles.”

The facility, which received a £4.86 million grant from Innovate UK, is scheduled for completion over the coming summer following eight months of construction.

Harper said there are “around half a dozen sites that are close behind Braintree”, several of which are expected to be under construction by the end of this year. He expects these projects to take six months to complete but is eventually aiming to get this down to five months or less.

The sites have been selected based on their access to the power grid and proximity to towns and cities and transport infrastructure such as major roads and airports. Harper said their role will be closer to that of a small petrol station than a large motorway service station: “Your service station is designed to allow people to traverse the country, going from A to B, whereas as your petrol station serves your local community.”

The company is aiming to get 100 sites up and running within five years.