Adrian J Cotterill, Editor-in-Chief
GRIDSERVE has now officially launched its Electric Highway network, just six weeks after acquiring the Electric Highway from Ecotricity.
GRIDSERVE has installed new 60kW+ chargers at over 50 locations. We understand that the entire network of almost 300 ‘old’ Ecotricity chargers at more than 150 locations on motorways and IKEA stores is on track to be replaced by September, 2021, enabling any type of EV to charge with contactless payment options, and doubling the number of simultaneous charging sessions by offering dual charging from single chargers.
Total investment is expected to exceed GBP 100m.
GRIDSERVE Electric Highway’s first Motorway Electric Hub – a bank of 12 high power 350kW GRIDSERVE Electric Highway chargers alongside 12 x Tesla Superchargers was opened to the public in April at Rugby Services and is the UK’s largest high power motorway charging site. It will act as a blueprint for all future sites, with more than 10 new Electric Hubs, each featuring 6-12 high power 350kW chargers per location, expected to be completed this year – starting with motorways services deployments in Reading (East and West), Thurrock, and Exeter, and Cornwall Services.
Funding to achieve GRIDSERVE’s ambitions is being supported by a new investor in GRIDSERVE, The Rise Fund, TPG’s global impact investing platform. The investment in GRIDSERVE sits alongside GRIDSERVE’s existing shareholder Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, and enables GRIDSERVE to accelerate its purpose of helping to deliver sustainable energy at a scale needed to move the needle on climate change. With more than USD 5.5 billion in assets under management across its platform, The Rise Fund works with growth-stage, high potential, mission-driven companies that have the power to change the world and help achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
Including the company’s Electric Forecourt® in Braintree, the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway network includes more than 150 charging locations, covering 85% of the UK’s motorway network with the capability of charging almost than 400 vehicles simultaneously throughout the UK.
To support continuity and transparency for EV drivers, all sites will continue to charge on a price per kWh of energy used basis. The price to charge at Electric Hubs is 30p per kW – enabling a typical EV to add 200 miles of range for as little as £15, and £24p/kWh at Electric Forecourts®, so just £12. GRIDSERVE has also developed a new Interactive Map to make journey planning as seamless as possible. The map will include the location of each Electric Hub or Electric Forecourt®; the charging connectors in each location; whether chargers are in use or available; and details about the facilities on offer in each location. GRIDSERVE chargers are also being integrated with third party services, including Zap-Map – the UK’s leading charge point mapping service – to help all drivers access information on chargers as easily and as quickly as possible.
24/7 phone support is also available to support all chargers and GRIDSERVE has published a Customer Charter which commits the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway to being: Greener, Responsive, Inclusive, Dependable, Safer, Everywhere, Revolutionary, Value, Experience.
All chargers operated by GRIDSERVE are supported by net zero solar energy delivered by its ‘sun-to-wheel’ infrastructure – a network of grid-scale hybrid solar farms which ensure that every kW taken from the grid by EV charging infrastructure is netted off against zero-carbon kW’s of solar energy put back into the grid.
In partnership with Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, the company also offers GRIDSERVE Electric Vehicle Solutions, the UK’s first net zero carbon EV leasing business. The net zero carbon energy delivered at GRIDSERVE’s charging points can be included in monthly leasing payments, meaning drivers can charge at any GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charger without paying additional monthly costs for energy. This removes a key barrier to mass EV adoption, enabling people to accurately compare the cost of leasing a petrol or diesel vehicle, plus fuel, with an EV with energy included. This reflects the true overall cost to the consumer – which in most cases clearly demonstrates a lower cost for EVs than petrol or diesel vehicles – and is particularly useful for the >40% of people without access to off-street parking.
GRIDSERVE also works with a tree planting organisation which plants 100 trees for every EV leased through the service. 10,000 trees are now in the process of being planted since the electric vehicle leasing business was launched in December.
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