The Electric Vehicle Experience Centre has been launched in Milton Keynes, with doors set to open to the public in Saturday 22nd July. A multi-brand EV showroom, the EV Experience Centre is the first of its kind in the UK.
Located in Centre:MK, the EV Experience Centre will have a team of ‘gurus’ on hand to provide advice and information in all aspects of electric vehicles. Test drives will be available from the centre too, with a selection of different models and manufacturers on offer.
The centre forms part of Milton Keynes’ Go Ultra Low City scheme plans, and is operated by Chargemaster. Funded by funds from Milton Keynes’ GUL Cities bid, the centre is designed to part no-pressure showroom, and part information hub.
Gurus will be able to talk visitors through all aspects of plug-in cars, from the technology in the cars themselves, to charging requirements and options.
Supported by six of the Go Ultra Low manufacturers – BMW i, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Renault, and Volkswagen – models from these brands will be on show and available to test on local roads.
Jesse Norman MP, Roads Minister said: “We awarded £9m to Milton Keynes to encourage the take-up of ultra-low emission vehicles and it is great to see the city leading the way. There are now more than 100,000 ultra low emission vehicles on our roads, and it is our ambition that nearly every car and van in the UK is zero-emission by 2050.”
Brian Matthews, Head of Transport Innovation at Milton Keynes Council said: “We are very proud to be one of the UK’s Go Ultra Low Cities, and we are putting the UK’s first EV Experience Centre at the very heart of our programme.
“We want to encourage and support as many drivers as possible to go electric, and the information, advice and test drives offered through the centre will help to show local consumers how easily an EV could fit into their lifestyle.”
David Martell, Chief Executive of Chargemaster said: “The opening of the EV Experience Centre is a landmark moment for electric vehicles in the UK. The next five years will see the uptake of EVs ramp up, as a wider choice of models come to market, with improved range and greater desirability.
“The EV Experience Centre will provide a great opportunity for those interested in electric vehicles to find out more and test drive one, which we are confident will encourage even more consumers to buy electric cars.”
The AA Trust, which is a founding partner of the EV Experience Centre, has launched its Drive Electric lessons too, initially to be run from the centre. These will see AA Instructors teach drivers how to better understand the EV driving experience, and how to get the most out of the cars.
The EV Experience Centre supports Milton Keynes’ other initiatives such as free parking for EVs, grants for home and workplace charging, and the creation of two EV charging hubs.
