WALES has its first high-powered EV charging hub thanks to the new installation by GRIDSERVE at the Moto services in Swansea on junction 47 of the M4.
Part of the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, the site will start with six 350kW high-power EV charge points.
GRIDSERVE says this can be quickly scaled up to 12 once demand rises.
All chargers will be supplied with 100% net zero carbon energy from GRIDSERVE’s solar farms, accept contactless payment for maximum accessibility, and have the ability to deliver 100-miles of range in less than 10 minutes.
Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE, said: “Our mission is to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles in the shortest possible timeframes to help prevent the worst impacts of climate change. This is a landmark project for GRIDSERVE and Moto and the first high-power charging facility of its kind for Wales.”
Lack of public charging infrastructure is a known barrier to EV adoption and has historically led to regional disparities in EV registrations. Currently, Wales has one of the lowest numbers of EV charge points per head of population in the UK and Southwest Wales – where GRIDSERVE’s Electric Hub is located – has just half the average proportion of EVs when compared to the rest of the UK.
Ken McMeikan, CEO of Moto, added:
“We are accelerating our ambition to open Ultra Rapid Charging Hubs at all of our Motorway Service Areas over the coming 12 months and are delighted with the progress that our partnership with GRIDSERVE is making. We launched our first EV Hub with 24 Ultra Rapid chargers at Moto Rugby last year and EV drivers have loved it, we are super confident we’ll see the same level of success here at Moto Swansea.”
The parent company of the newly rebranded Novuna Vehicle Solutions – a Broker News funder partner – holds a 21% stake in GRIDSERVE.
Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
