UK: First compact fast-charging hub now open in Norwich
Gridserve says it has opened the first ‘Compact Electric Forecourt’, this time in Norwich. “Compact” is, however, relative as the site hosts 36 charging stations, including 22 high power chargers. The Norwich site is the third in a series of charging hubs the company plans to install through a £1-billion investment.
As with the company’s other installations, the Electric Forecourt at Norwich in the East of England region is powered by 100% renewable energy. Gridserve also claims the location is an “EV experience destination,” where visitors can get information about switching to an electric vehicle. The advice and options to test ride various electric cars will be provided through Gridserve Car Leasing. New customers will receive 1,000 miles of free charging for every car they lease throughout June.
Gridserve had pledged in 2019 to open 100 Electric Forecourts in the UK by 2025. One is open at Braintree in Essex; another is scheduled to open at Gatwick Airport in autumn 2022. Gridserve says it has already received planning permission for more sites, including Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Bromborough.
On opening the third site, CEO Toddington Harper said: “Norwich Electric Forecourt showcases a brand new design, where we have been able to provide both charging and a great customer experience in a smaller footprint than our first site at Braintree. By elevating the facilities above the chargers, we make the best use of the space available. We are able to deliver a great EV experience without compromise, even when space is at a premium and sites are more constrained.”
The Norwich Electric Forecourt is located at Broadland Gate Business Park in Postwick, adjacent to the A47 trunk road linking Birmingham to Lowestoft, Suffolk.
Gridserve also claims, the Norwich Electric Forecourt doubles the number of ultra-rapid chargers in the region. The East of England has low EV charger coverage compared to other areas of the UK, hosting just 29 chargers per 100,000 people compared to the UK average of 42 per 100,000 people, or 102 per 100,000 people in London.
The company has recently concluded revamping the national ‘Electric Highway’ network Gridserve took over from Ecotricity.
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