Ionity opens first HPC hub in Northern Ireland

Ionity has opened its first public electric vehicle HPC hub in Northern Ireland at Toome Motorway Service Station. Located just off the A6, the six new charge points provide charging at up to 350kW, and Ionity has shared that it will add further charge points in the future depending on demand – construction is already underway of another charging site at The Kennedy Centre in Belfast.

Ionity specifies that the Toome site is built as a fully-fledged motorway service station on the A6, which connects Derry/Londonderry with Belfast. Furthermore, “the new hub also connects with additional Ionity charging stations such as the site being constructed at The Kennedy Centre in Belfast, a retail site located just off the Belfast ring road, with a wide variety of stores and restaurants.”

“Opening our first site in Northern Ireland is an exciting nod to our investment in the country to help decarbonise mobility and make EV charging accessible to everyone visiting or living in Northern Ireland,” said Andreas Atkins, Ionity’s Country Manager for the UK and Ireland.

“NIE Networks is delighted to play our part in helping Northern Ireland move towards Net Zero by connecting the first high powered EV Charging site in Toome. We are willing and ready to support the move towards greener energy and drive real noticeable change for local people,” added Ian Craig, Major Projects Stakeholder Lead at NIE Networks.

Northern Ireland has seen a steady rise in charging infrastructure, with BP Pulse announcing a network expansion in December, both ventures benefitting from the new UK charging infrastructure regulation.

Ionity has also been making headlines recently, as the company hit a major milestone yesterday in Europe, having reached 600 charging locations across 24 countries, under the newly appointed Managing Director Torsten Kiedel. This is also not Ionity’s first venture in Ireland, as the company is operating a charging network together with Circle K in the southern part of the island.

Update 11 March 2024

The Kennedy Centre Belfast has announced that Northern Ireland’s largest ultra-rapid charging station is now available to use on-site. The new Ionity hub offers 11 350kW chargers. The opening follows the installation of another Ionity station at Toome Service Station, with future openings of Ionity charging hubs planned across the country.

“Our mission is to build a comprehensive charging infrastructure throughout the UK and Europe, to enable a fast and seamless charging experience for EV drivers,” said Ionity’s Country Manager of UK and Ireland, Andreas Atkins, adding: “The investment in Northern Ireland’s EV charging infrastructure is a key milestone for us. As well as helping the EV community to access conveniently rapid charging based renewable energy, we will also help to increase both businesses day to day with new customers at both sites.”

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