UK: InstaVolt targets installing 10,000 EV chargers by 2030

EV charging provider InstaVolt has published a pledge to install 10,000 electric vehicle chargers across the UK by 2030. However, the company has some way to go but points to some powerful partnerships.

So far, InstaVolt has a thousand chargers either active or in development and yet set ambitious intermediate targets. Speaking of the commitment, InstaVolt CEO Adrian Keen said the company was on track to deliver or exceed its earlier pledge of 5,000 rapid chargers by 2025. “We’re delivering close to 1.5GWh per month – which is 100% from renewable sources – and we’re installing new chargers weekly,” he said.

InstaVolt added the network was experiencing record month-on-month growth since lockdown restrictions in the UK eased earlier this year, so the company.

Specifically, InstaVolt points to important partnerships in recent months, including deals with McDonald’s and Costa Coffee where it began rolling out new 120-kW charging stations. This is a notch up in an engagement going back to June 2020. At the time, McDonald’s had more than 1,300 branches in Great Britain. However, none of the companies has disclosed how many chargers the partnership includes.

In December 2020, InstaVolt also announced a partnership with the fried chicken fast-food giant KFC, which will see rapid chargers installed at up to 450 KFC drive-thru restaurants at locations across the UK and Ireland. “Now we’re taking our network to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in response to growing customer demand in those regions,” CEO Keen added today.

InstaVolt relies on BYD technology for the new charging units that deliver up to 125 kW. The charging stations have one CCS and one CHAdeMO connector on each unit allowing two cars to be charged at once.

“We’re incredibly pleased to be the first charging network to install BYD public chargers in the UK”, said Keen. “Delivering this new and improved technology across locations such as McDonald’s and Costa will mean that any EV driver passing through these locations can speedily charge their car.”

According to mapping service Zap-Map, InstaVolt is currently the third-largest rapid charging network in the UK – only the bp pulse and Tesla Supercharger networks have more fast-charging devices. Zap-Map counts 600 InstaVolt chargers operational. The annual Zap-map driver survey saw InstaVolt on top of the list in two consecutive years.

Apparently, InstaVolt is also working to include AC chargers within its network for the first time, as well as grow its power capabilities to 150kW at strategic roadside locations.

zap-map.com, current-news.co.uk, instavolt.co.uk (BYD chargers)