Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the market leading independent forecourt operator with over 900 sites across Great Britain, has announced an extensive investment plan for electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in 2023.
The company’s 2023 plans build on a successful 2022, in which MFG installed 271 ultra-rapid chargers across its network, with an additional 31 hubs, plus a further 175 chargers in construction. This forms part of its commitment to invest £400 million in EV infrastructure by 2030.
Following a successful start to the programme, with 20% of the £400 million investment already deployed during 2021 and 2022, the 2023 investment plan will see MFG install over 360 ultra-rapid 150kW chargers at hubs throughout the UK.
“We were proud to continue our significant investment into the UK’s EV infrastructure throughout 2022, opening a record number of EV hubs across our network,” said MFG CEO William Bannister.
“Our ambition was to invest ahead of the curve, and give drivers who were contemplating purchasing an electric vehicle the confidence that they could travel as easily as with a petrol or hybrid vehicle.
“Although we have a way to go to achieve this, our investment in 2022 has set us on a positive trajectory. We have set ourselves another ambitious target for openings in 2023, with the plan to energise 360 chargers whilst delivering the best experience possible for our customers.”
The new MFG hubs will consist of between four and eight ultra-rapid 150kW chargers per site. These devices can add 100 miles range in approximately 10 minutes, subject to the charging capability of individual car batteries. These will be augmented with 300kW+ chargers as vehicle battery technology improves to maintain the fastest charging times across the MFG EV Power network.
MFG is also a Zap-Pay partner, meaning EV drivers can pay quickly and easily for charging from within the Zap-Map app at MFG sites and across other networks. The company continues to invest ahead of the curve to build driver’s confidence in electricity as a fuel source, supporting the government’s decarbonisation and sustainability agenda and emissions target of being net zero by 2050.
2023 will see MFG install over 360 ultra-rapid chargers at hubs across the UK.
The charging network recently came in joint first place in Zap-Map’s annual charging network rankings, scoring highly for reliability and ease of use. The rankings form part of Zap-Map’s annual EV Charging Survey.
MFG, which is only in its second year as a CPO, expects to continue to invest to improve service for customers by creating EV hubs with a leading retail offering and valeting services.
Alongside its investment in EV, MFG has made a £50 million investment to improve its retail, food to go, and valeting offer to consumers. MFG’s investment will continue in the years ahead across its UK-wide network, aimed at improving customer service across its sites. The company also aims to be a hub for local communities, offering a wide range of services and shops.
Over the coming decades, MFG will operate a dual fuel strategy, meaning it will continue to provide existing fossil fuel infrastructure, while placing equal importance on rolling out ultra-rapid EV charging hubs. En-route charging will be particularly important infrastructure for those drivers who are not able to charge an EV at home.
