The number of charging sessions on the UK’s biggest motorway electric vehicle (EV) charging network, the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway, has tripled since June 2021, with a quadrupling of energy supplied, one year since GRIDSERVE acquired the network from Ecotricity and began its sweeping reforms to dramatically improve standards.
Significantly, the average charge time on the network also has also decreased, in line with faster, more reliable charging. The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway is now one of the most highly utilised charging networks in the UK, now charging more than 100,000 EVs every month.
Over the past year, GRIDSERVE has embarked on a multimillion-pound programme to materially improve dependability, ease of use, and availability of chargers, including upgrading over 160 charging locations with new chargers, delivering an additional 7 High Power Electric Super Hubs across the motorway network – each featuring a bank of 6 to 12 x 350kW-capable chargers, and opening a new flagship Norwich Electric Forecourt. Dozens of additional sites are also already under development and in construction.
“Only one year ago, we acquired the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway with the aim of making EV driving an enjoyable, ultra-convenient and stress-free experience throughout the UK,” said Toddington Harper, Founder and CEO of GRIDSERVE.
“From day one, we have been focussed on delivering the best possible charging experience for drivers, and the response has been staggering with more people than ever charging at motorway service stations. I’m proud to say that in just one year, GRIDSERVE has made reliable EV travel across Great Britain possible – from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, and Pembrokeshire to Dover.”
Reliability, consistently reported as a number one priority for EV drivers – most recently in Zap-Map’s latest annual survey – has significantly improved under GRIDSERVE, now standing at up to 99% uptime, with a goal of consistently driving this even higher.
Accessibility has also improved, with contactless payment – previously unavailable at all legacy chargers – now ubiquitous across the network, making it easier than ever to charge and go. Each Electric Super Hub also includes at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every six EV charging spaces, and across the network, all 3 connection types (CCS, CHAdeMO, and Type 2 for AC) are available, catering for every type of EV.
Charging sessions on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway have tripled in a year.
“Whilst we have materially improved EV charging across the UK, we have only touched the surface in terms of delivering the full extent of our plans,” Harper continued.
“It remains our mission to continually improve our network to provide increasingly large numbers of EV drivers with the confidence that they can set off on any length of journey, to anywhere in the country, driving any type of EV, and have a better experience than making the same trip in a petrol or diesel vehicle.”
Drivers across the country have also been invited to join GRIDSERVE in celebrating the one-year anniversary of the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway with the launch of a new competition.
Through the competition, five drivers will win 1,000 miles of free charge across the entire network, including at its Electric Forecourts. To enter, drivers must find the GRIDSERVE birthday wrapped chargers hidden across the network and submit an image on Twitter or Instagram tagging GRIDSERVE.
The competition closes at 23:59 on Sunday 31st July 2022, with winners announced on Twitter and Instagram by 11am on Friday 12th August 2022.
