Gridserve opens forecourt at Gatwick with 22 ultra-rapid chargers
JONATHAN BRYCE
Gridserve has opened a new EV charging hub at Gatwick, claiming it is the first dedicated facility of its kind at a European airport.
Located just off the M23 about halfway between London and Brighton, it is described by Gridserve as “one of the most advanced EV charging facilities in the world”.
It is equipped with 30 chargers, 22 of which use ultra-rapid CCS connectors that can supply batteries at rates of up to 350kW, thereby adding as much as 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
Four Tesla Superchargers have also been installed but are yet to be activated.
The site is Gridserve’s third bespoke charging hub, and company boss Toddington Harper said: “Our goal is to give people confidence to charge on the motorway network as quickly as they possibly can with a minimum of six high-powered chargers [at each of our sites].
“We want people to get the confidence that they can go anywhere in the country without any stress and in an excited way, because they know that they’re going to have great charging facilities with the right amenities.”
The Gatwick hub is supplied directly by the national grid, but Gridserve tops the grid back up with an equivalent amount of energy generated by its own solar farms – such as that in Cirencester, which at its peak generates 23MW. This means the hub is effectively powered entirely by renewable energy.
There’s also a 6MW battery on site to increase power supply at peak times.
As is increasingly common, each of the Gatwick chargers is connected to the internet, so drivers can check availability and individual charge levels.
Harper explained that this showcases the British company’s plans to embrace “smart connectivity” as it expands its offering.
Soon it will begin advising customers on which Gridserve locations they should stop and charge at (and at which times) during longer journeys or suggest to them an alternative site if their closest is full.
Bringing a fivefold increase in chargers at Gatwick’s South terminal, the firm’s new hub has a convenience shop, a coffee shop and a meeting room.
Construction has begun on its fourth electric forecourt – in Stevenage, Hertfordshire – and it has confirmed plans to expand into Scotland and Wales, with a site planned for Rutherglen, outside Glasgow.
Gridserve will also introduce 1MW charging for heavy goods vehicles by next year, al
