Dual boost for UK EV charging infrastructure

The UK's fast electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure received a double boost yesterday, as two new installations were each hailed as record-breaking additions to the fast-expanding network.

Network operator BP Chargemaster announced that the country's largest universal rapid charging hub for EVs had been inaugurated in conjunction with Milton Keynes Council, delivering eight 50kW rapid chargers to a site within a minute's drive of the M1.

The project is part of a project to deploy EV charge points across the city which has been backed by £9m of funding from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

BP Chargemaster said the site had already charged more than 500 EVs since it went live.

"We are delighted to be operating what is now the UK's largest universal rapid charging hub, providing a fantastic, convenient place to charge for drivers travelling within and around Milton Keynes," said David Martell, chief executive of BP Chargemaster. "The eight UK-made Ultracharge rapid chargers join the 300 Fastcharge and 65 rapid chargers that we already operate in the area, which has established itself as a centre of excellence for electric vehicle charging infrastructure."

The news came on the same day as Bristol City Council announced work was now underway to build the city's first rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hub at Eastville Park.

It also came as auto giant Jaguar Land Rover announced it had successfully installed the UK's largest smart charging facility for EVs.

The company said it has installed 166 smart charging outlets at its Gaydon engineering centre, provided by Shell-owned network operator NewMotion.

The 7kW AC smart charging stations will be provided with 100 per cent renewable power and cloud-connected, allowing users to track and optimize their charging times and charge at other stations in the NewMotion European network using a single card.

"Every new Jaguar and Land Rover model line will be electrified from 2020, giving our customers even more choice," said Mick Cameron, head of e-Mobility at Jaguar Land Rover. "We hope that by providing a network of electric charging points to staff and visitors at our Gaydon engineering centre we can help encourage the uptake of alternative fuels amongst our employees."

Sytse Zuidema, CEO of NewMotion, said workplace charge points were likely to play a critical role in supporting the roll out of EVs. "As leading provider of smart charging solutions in Europe, our data shows when EV drivers are charging their car, 40 per cent of the time this happens at work," he said.

In related news, energy and grid data services specialist Gemserv last week announce d the launch of a new consultation in a bid to develop an industry-wide EV Governance Framework (EVGF) designed to "boost consumer confidence in EVs, address market failures and provide a forum to engage market actors".

The hope is that an industry-led governance framework can pre-empt regulation and address the interoperability issues that some critics have accused of acting as a drag on EV adoption.

"The uptake of EVs needs to accelerate significantly for the UK to meet air quality and climate change targets," said Trevor Hutchings, director of strategy and communications at Gemserv. "The challenges facing those in the market are complex and significant, and require sustained action in order to achieve a swift and viable transition to EVs. Rather than relying on government intervention, this is an opportunity for industry to step-up and grip the issues holding back the EV market, and to reap the economic benefits from a world-leading transition to low carbon transport.  We are calling on all organisations across the EV market to respond to our ideas and determine the best approach."