Rapid charging infrastructure improving across the UK

Rapid charging points are becoming more prevalent across the UK, with the network gradually growing to support EV drivers from Cornwall, to Hackney, to the Cotswolds.

16 rapid chargepoints are to be installed across Cornwall by the end of summer this year, with Transport Minister Andrew Jones unveiling the first at the Eden project on 6 June. The Department for Transport (DfT) provided a grant of £765,000 for the development of a network  across Devon and Cornwall, which will be open to the public. The charging points are capable of fully charging a car in 30 minutes.

Hackney became the home of London’s first on street rapid chargers in July, with three 50kW units installed in Bentley Road, Dalston; Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch, and; Reading Lane in Hackney Central.

A solar powered unit capable of charging a car in 40 minutes is set to be installed at the Poole Civic Centre, along with 18 other charge points across Dorset as part of a £900,000 scheme funded by the DfT. Six rapid chargers are set to be installed in Poole, along with five in Bournemouth and seven spread out across the rest of the county, including car parks in Harbourside, Weymouth; Trinity Street, Dorchester; East Street, Bridport, and; Charmouth Road, Lyme Regis.

Two rapid chargers have also been installed by Siemens in Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh for Cotswold District Council (CDC). These were funded by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) to provide a strategic link between existing chargers on the M4, M5 and M40.