The end of the petrol station? First solar powered electric forecourt that will charge electric cars in just ten minutes to be built in Essex - the first of more than 100 planned for the UK
Jul 17, 2019 03:07 PM ET
- Solar panels will provide the energy needed for the vehicles to recharge
- Each forecourt fitted with 24 charging spaces which can be booked with an app
- All vehicles will recharge in less than 30 minutes but some will be done in ten
- Lounges will also be built with shops, toilets and cafes for weary travellers
The first of more than 100 solar-powered forecourts set to be built in the UK has been announced for Braintree, Essex.
British firm Gridserve is behind the project and envisions the eventual replacement of petrol stations with the sites that have 24 charging spaces for electric vehicles.
Future versions will be found alongside busy roads to let most electric and hybrid vehicles fully charge in less than 30 minutes.
Some smaller cars with high-speed charging can be fully topped up in just ten minutes, developers claim.
'Airport-style' lounges will be built as part of the £1 billion ($1.31bn) project, to provide travellers with shops, toilets and cafes to pass the time as their cars refuel.
Gridserve says more than 80 sites have already been confirmed, with more in the pipeline. Braintree will likely be the first of many set to revolutionise the UK's motoring landscape.
Construction at sites in York and Hull is also expected to start before the end of 2019.
A lack of charging points, long-wait times and small ranges has limited the spread of electric cars and stunted their growth.
The government claims all new petrol and diesel cars will be emission-free by 2040 but critics have called this timeline overly ambitious.
Electric cars constitute only one per cent of all road vehicles but there are efforts to create infrastructure designed to make owning an electric car less arduous.
Toddington Harper, founder of Gridserve, says the forecourts and their familiar model to departure lounges and service stations would allow electric cars to become more commonplace.
He said: 'We plan to make charging electric vehicles as easy as using petrol stations.
'The latest generation of electric vehicles are awesome, and ready for mainstream adoption, but drivers still worry about if or where they can charge, how long it will take, and what it will cost.
'We plan to eliminate any range or charging anxiety by building a UK-wide network of customer-focused, brand new Electric Forecourts that will make it easier and cheaper to use an electric vehicle than a petrol or diesel alternative.
'Within five years we plan to have more than 100 Electric Forecourts in use, with each supported by solar energy and battery storage.
'This infrastructure will accelerate the electric vehicle revolution, serve the grid, and help the UK meet climate and clean air targets.
'We are partnering with operators of fleet vehicles, developers, financiers of vehicles and infrastructure, EV manufacturers, retailers, local authorities, and others who share our vision.'
Electric cars constitute only one per cent of all road vehicles but there are efforts to create infrastructure designed to make owning an electric car less arduous. A lack of charging points, long-wait times and small ranges has limited the spread of electric cars and stunted their growth
Current plans also include areas dedicated to fleet vehicles, with taxis and buses able to recharge.
Users will have the option of booking a place at one of the forecourts through an accompanying app or driving in.
Images of what the forecourts may look like were created by Aup, a design company.
Ricky Sandhu, lead and senior consultant, said: 'It is vitally important that we transition quickly to sustainable, clean new modes of transportation and energy production.'
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