Plans for new electric vehicle charging centres have taken a big step forward as four sites have been secured for these green EV charging hubs.
Cambridge-based firm eVcentres has confirmed that three locations in England and one in Scotland have been sorted, sited along some of the UK’s main trunk roads. Planning permission is expected to be passed in early next year, with development to start in the currently unnamed locations in summer 2018.
Each site will be fitted with up to 20 rapid chargers, and run off 100% renewable energy. The electricity used to charge visitors’ EVs will be generated from new solar farms built alongside the hubs, making eVcentres’ sites self-sufficient and off-grid.
Drivers of any EV will be able to use the charging hubs, and each location will provide facilities such as a coffee shop, lounge, meeting rooms, and a gym, for drivers to use for the half an hour or so it will take for their EVs to charge.
Richard Gordon, eVcentres CEO, said: “This is a very exciting moment not only in the evolution of the company, but also in the evolution of the UK’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
“Sceptics have always said the national grid will be the limiting factor in the uptake of electric vehicles, but utilising renewable energy such as solar and wind, combined with battery storage, will allow our centres to be uniquely off-grid but still able to rapid charge up to 20 vehicles at a time using 100 per cent renewable energy from new solar farms, specifically developed for our centres. It’s a real game-changer.”
