Could this be the end of range and charge anxiety for electric car owners driving through the Midlands?
Called a gigahub, it has been created by BP Pulse at the NEC in Birmingham and claims to be the ‘largest charging station’ in the UK.
It can charge up to 180 electric vehicles at a time, though at varying speeds.
Could this site spell the end of charge anxiety in the Midlands? BP has opened the UK’s ‘largest charging hub’ in Birmingham – and it can boost the batteries of lots of EVs at one time
With the NEC exhibition centre close to major junctions for the M42 and M6 motorways, it offers a charging solution for EV owners on long journeys.
It could spell the end of extended queues at motorway service stations in the West Midlands, as seen last Christmas when some electric car owners were forced to wait two to three hours to charge their cars while en route to visit family and friends.
The gigahub has the capacity to charge up to 30 EVs on ultra-rapid 300kW DC connections, which should be able to replenish batteries of the latest models from 10 to 80 per cent in around half an hour.
A further 150 EVs can be plugged into 7kW AC charge points, which offer far slower charging speeds.
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The expansive Gigahub at the NEC has the capacity to charge up to 30 EVs on ultra-rapid 300kW DC connections and a further 150 EVs via 7kW AC charge points
With the NEC exhibition centre close to major junctions for the M42 and M6 motorways, it offers a charging solution for EV owners on long journeys
Also on site at the hub is a drive-thru Starbucks so motorists can get coffee and other refreshments while they wait for their car’s range to extend.
READ MORE: Britain’s uneven spread of electric car rapid chargers exposed
The gigahub was officially opened on Thursday by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.
At the ribbon-cutting event, he said: ‘This is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK and is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s role as a leader in green industries.
‘The ground-breaking site will be a major transport hub for the future and marks a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.’
The gigahub will serve the seven million visitors attracted to the NEC Campus annually, as well as those passing through.
With annual traffic counts around the hub’s location tallying up to 60 million, it will be a well-used service by early EV adopters.
The gigahub was officially opened on Thursday (7 September) by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt
The gigahub will serve the seven million visitors attracted to the NEC Campus annually, as well as those passing through
With annual traffic counts around the hub’s location tallying up to 60 million, it will be a well-used service by early EV adopters
Akira Kirton, vice president of BP Pulse UK, said: ‘The transition to electric vehicles is evolving at pace which is why BP Pulse is focussed on accelerating the development of the UK’s EV infrastructure, delivering the right charging speeds, in the right locations and investing up to £1billion to do so.
‘This new, nationally significant BP Pulse gigahub at the heart of the UK’s road network, is another great example of our strategy in action.
‘We plan to roll out hundreds of hubs this decade in places EV drivers needs them – urban areas, on trunk roads and motorways and at destinations such as restaurants, retail parks and hotels.’
The NEC site is the third BP gigahub in the country, now operational alongside Central London’s Park Lane location and another at Gatwick airport.
