Largest EV charging hub in the South West opens

Osprey Charging has opened the largest ultra-rapid EV charging hub in the South West, located at Salmon’s Leap, Buckfastleigh on the A38 Devon Expressway.

The site is open and expected to cater for the high volumes of seasonal traffic expected in Devon this summer. It will also critically provide local residents, businesses and visitors with reliable EV infrastructure.

The 1.6 acre site is Osprey’s first land acquisition. The car park has been re-designed specifically for EV charging: there are two extra-long bays for towing vehicles, extra-wide bays for full disabled access, and all bays are laid out in Osprey’s unique format that optimises space and charger ease-of-use, so that the hub accommodates all types of vehicle and driver.

Strawberry Fields farm shop opens on-site soon, offering a range of their own homemade and homegrown produce and many of their own bakery items and fresh ready meals. This will be alongside a coffee shop with homemade ‘food to go’ options.

The site is easily accessible from both the Plymouth-bound and Exeter-bound carriageways of the A38, and is the ideal place to charge an EV whilst taking a journey break or visiting the farm shop. A planning application is underway for a service-station style canopy, to further enhance the site.

The 16 high-power charge points at the hub are compatible with every rapid-charging vehicle on the market. Each is capable of 300kW charging for vehicles able to accept this high power, without wasting any power on lower-capability cars thanks to the latest innovative load-balancing technology. This means customers of the hub can add 100 miles of range in just 15-25 minutes.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Salmon’s Leap. We purchased the land so have been able to precisely design the space and install hardware that maximises availability and ease of use of chargers for all types of vehicles and drivers. Our largest site yet, it is a significant milestone for the Osprey team as we work tirelessly to ensure that our nationwide infrastructure deployment of rapid EV charging stations continues at an unprecedented pace.”