36 superchargers! Discover the EV charging station of the future
A newly opened ultra-fast electric vehicle charging station is giving fleets and company car and van drivers a vision of the future.
The GRIDSERVE Electric Forecourt in Essex, UK, has been designed with 36 superchargers with up to 350kW charging power, capable of adding 320km of range in 20 minutes, and even faster as vehicle battery technologies improve.
Solar energy support
The ‘sun-to-wheel’ site is supported by its own 10megawatt solar farm, 70km away, generating renewable energy for the station.
Sam Clarke, chief vehicle officer, GRIDSERVE, said: “We can charge all vehicles simultaneously thanks to the 5 megawatt grid connection and 6 megawatt hours of battery storage on site, so we have no compromise when it comes to charging vehicles as quickly as possible.”
Battery storage
The battery can store enough energy to power 38,400km in electric vehicles, helping to maximise the value of renewable energy, stabilise the electricity grid, and keep prices low.
In total, the site has 24 DC chargers with 90kW charging power and both ChaDeMo and CCS plug connections, as well as 12 ultrafast chargers capable of 350kW per bay, which is more power than any vehicle on the road can currently accept.
There are also six 22kW AC chargers for older EVs, and for drivers who plan to spend longer at the site, which has four meeting rooms for hire, free superfast WiFi, a lounge, as well as a grocery store, newsagent, café and post office.
Fleet-specific chargers
Clarke added that GRIDSERVE has designed and designated charging bays for commercial fleet users, such as electric LCVs, lorries and buses, which need to minimise queue and charging times, although this has yet to be installed.
And with an eye on the weather, a central canopy with 200kW of solar panels to power the site, offers shelter from the rain. Many EV charging stations do not have this protection, which has been provided for years by petrol and diesel filling stations.
National roll-out
“Our firm intention is to build more than 100 of these electric forecourts around the country,” said Clarke. “We have five or six in the pipeline for this year and then we will roll out 100 over the next five years.
As more vehicles become electric we’re going to need solutions that meet many many people’s charging needs at the same location at the same time. We are not in the market of having sporadic chargers all over the place, we don’t believe that’s going to work. For mass uptake you need these kind of solutions, which replace the service station of the now with what we need in future.”
Source: fleeteurope
