Yesterday saw the opening of a rapid electric car charging station in the UK.
The first station, opened in Maidstone, houses four 350kW High Power chargers and is said to recharge cars in 20 minutes – with the capability to reduce that time to eight minutes in the future. A number of charging stations are set to open in Gretna Green and Milton Keynes at a later date.
The development of the points comes from a collaborative effort between a number of household names: BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company, and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche. IONITY, as the joint venture is known, aims to build a high power-charging network for electric vehicles along major highways in Europe. The company is embarking on the goal to install a total of 2,400 chargers by 2020.
Michael Hajesch, CEO, IONITY told The Daily Express: “As car manufacturers continue to launch electric vehicles with bigger batteries to provide a longer range, High Power charging is an essential part of the e-mobility transition process thus making the e-journey a smooth and seamless experience.
“We are passionate about making e-mobility a reality, with drivers already taking advantage of our convenient stations across Europe.
“We selected Octopus Energy to provide 100% renewable energy for our network of 40 High Power Charging stations in the UK.
“Coupled with the new charging times that 350kW makes possible, this represents an important step towards making the environmentally friendly long-distance journey an everyday reality.”
The rapid charging points are intended to maximise the number of charges that can be completed as well as enabling long distance journeys for drivers.
When interviewed by The Daily Express, Zoisa Walton, Director, Octopus Energy for Business, said: “We are committed to bringing a fundamental change to the UK’s EV landscape.
“By improving the affordability, practicality, convenience and green credentials of e-mobility options, IONITY and Octopus Energy are making EV ownership more accessible.”
Andrew Edwards, MFG’s Group Infrastructure Director, told The Daily Express: “We are delighted to be extending our fuel offer to customers.
“The growth of the electric and hybrid vehicle market is an important part of the fuel mix going forward. MFG is determined to be at the forefront of this technology, satisfying this growing demand.
“The installation of these high-power chargers using renewable energy at Maidstone adds even greater momentum to the growing uptake of EV vehicles.”
For more information on IONITY click here.
For more information on EV Charging from PE click here.
