ABB’s acclaimed Ultrafast DC and Fast DC electric vehicle (EV) chargers will support the new Gridserve Electric Highway charging network across the UK, as both companies seek to drive the adoption of electric vehicles, especially by making charging easier and more accessible. This is key to increasing the momentum of the growing EV market which experienced a three-fold increase in registrations in the UK from 2019 to 2020.
Gridserve’s Electric Highway will include coverage for 85 percent of the UK’s motorway network, plus towns and cities across the country. This multi-million pound investment will be supported by ABB’s Ultrafast DC 350 kW chargers at 50 of the new Electric Charging Hubs, with each site having between 6 and 12 charging units. A further 300 Fast DC 60 kW chargers will provide enhanced reliability to upgrade 150 existing sites that the company has acquired from Ecotricity.
ABB was selected by Gridserve for its reliable and flexible technology, which includes the ability to support Gridserve’s Autocharge feature, which recognises the unique identity of cars and initiates automatic charging power and payments. Another factor in the decision was ABB’s ability to support rapid deployment, with more than 10 new Electric Hubs planned to be in service before the end of 2021.
“Gridserve’s purpose is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change” said Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve. “We’ve chosen to use ABB EV chargers as they have the technology and capability to help deliver our ambitious plans for the Gridserve Electric Highway network, and provide the best possible charging experience for EV drivers”.
This latest project builds on ABB’s experience of delivering EV chargers for Gridserve’s inaugural Electric Forecourt in Braintree, Essex. The forecourt is part of the company’s ‘sun-to-wheel’ infrastructure built to deliver low cost, net zero carbon energy to every vehicle that uses one of Gridserve’s chargers. They use power generated by solar canopies above the chargers together with a network of hybrid solar farms. The focus is to make EV ownership practical and realistic for thousands of drivers who don’t have access to private chargers.
Since entering the e-mobility market in 2010, ABB has sold more than 400,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 85 markets, including more than 20,000 fast chargers.
For additional information:
