Category Archives: GRIDSERVE

Electric car drivers can make use of ‘magic’ feature to avoid windscreen frost and fines

February 20, 2023Charging, Electric Cars, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric car owners could potentially be saving more time than petrol and diesel drivers clearing frost and ice from their windscreens, in addition to avoiding fines.

With temperatures dropping below zero once again, drivers are being warned to ensure they are not breaking the law. On top of that, experts have claimed that pre-conditioning an electric car could save drivers a staggering 15 hours worth of defrosting time through the winter.

Pre-conditioning an electric vehicle allows EV drivers to schedule their departure time in advance and warm the temperature of the cabin.

The useful feature brings the cabin up to the desired temperature, defrosts and de-mists the driver’s windows.

It also warms the battery, ensuring that it is operating at peak performance, a feature they described as “magic”.

A spokesperson for GRIDSERVE said: “Not only does pre-conditioning an electric vehicle save time, it also stops drivers from making common mistakes when attempting to defrost their car in a hurry.

“Time-saving mistakes like using boiling water to clear ice and snow risks cracking the glass and using wiper blades to clear the windscreen only damages them when they’re frozen.”

GRIDSERVE used the estimated 15 minutes it takes to defrost an average car and calculated the cumulative hours that could be wasted during freezing temperatures.

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GRIDSERVE installs the ‘UK’s fastest EV charger’ at the Braintree Electric Forecourt

November 15, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

GRIDSERVE has installed the UK’s “fastest EV charger” at the Braintree Electric Forecourt to optimise charging technologies.

The ABB Terra 360kW charger is capable of adding 100 miles of range in less than five minutes, the company said, dramatically increasing charging times whilst on the go around the UK.

The public charger is equipped with two combined charging system (CCS) connectors with long cables, contactless payment, easy access for wheelchair users and is positioned to allow heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and cars towing caravans an area to charge with ease.

This could be a move that leads to the further adoption of EVs with research led by payments technology company Paythru having indicated that 80% of UK drivers may be deterred from driving an EV due to poor experience at the chargepoint.

One of the primary issues with the poor charging experience comes with difficulties in finding an EV chargepoint when it is required. This is an area that has been impacting the sector over recent months.

Over half of the respondents (54%) said not being able to find a chargepoint when it is required would put them off getting an EV and a further 26% said it might. A total of 80% highlighted it as a concern.

Read more: Current+

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GRIDSERVE begins construction of Electric Forecourt at London Gatwick Airport

October 17, 2022Charging, Electric Cars, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Electric vehicle (EV) charging company GRIDSERVE has started construction of a first-of-its-kind “Electric Forecourt” at London Gatwick Airport with plans to commence operation in 2023.

The site will feature 36 chargers on site at the Electric Forecourt, which includes high power chargers with up to 350kW of power, supplied by 100% renewable energy from the firm’s own hybrid solar farms.

GRDISERVE’s Forecourt will also have multiple connectors available to cater for all types of EVs whilst increasing accessibility via the use of contactless payments.

The site’s development follows the success of similar projects in Braintree and Norwich, all of which contributing to GRIDSERVE’s commitment to deliver over 100 Electric Forecourts.

Proposed Electric Forecourt (Image: GRIDSERVE)

The Norwich Forecourt offers visitors without EVs the opportunity to learn more and chat with EV gurus, while in the coming weeks visitors will be able to test drive electric cars from a variety of brands as part of GRIDSERVE Car Leasing.

This could potentially increase the adoption of EVs with the general public being informed on the positives of switching to EVs whilst also being able to trial one for themselves.

Read more: Current+

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MOTO and GRIDSERVE launch eighth High Power charging hub

August 2, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

Moto and GRIDSERVE have opened their eighth high power electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Yorkshire.

As part of the companies’ rollout of Electric Super Hubs across the UK, 12 350kW-capable EV chargers have been installed at Moto Wetherby, with capacity to expand when future demand requires.

All of the new chargers have been designed to include both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, accept contactless payments and to provide at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every six EV charging spaces.

Real-time status updates will be available for the chargers on a myriad of EV charging maps, the companies said, including Zap-Map.

Ken McMeikan, chief executive at Moto, said: “We are delighted to continue our roll-out of the High Power Charging Hubs and we will be opening more hubs at all of our Motorway Service Areas across the country in the coming 12 months.”

In 2022, Moto and GRIDSERVE have added 65 high power chargers across seven new Electric Super Hubs, including chargers in Thurrock in May, Exeter and Burton-in-Kendal last April and its first one in Wales in February.

Read more: Current+

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GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charging sessions triple following multimillion-pound upgrade works

July 14, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

In the year since GRIDSERVE acquired the Electric Highway, the number of charging sessions has tripled while the energy supply has quadrupled.

The average charge time on the network has also decreased, with this in line with the faster charging installed by GRIDSERVE, which began upgrading the network in March 2021.

Reliability on the network has also improved over the past year, with the network now having 99% uptime and a goal of raising this further.

Additionally, the electric vehicle (EV) charging network said that accessibility has improved, with contactless payment now ubiquitous across the network, having been previously unavailable at legacy chargers.

Each Electric Super Hub also includes at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every 6 EV charging spaces, while all 3 connection types (CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2 for AC) are available across the network.

Read more: Current+

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GRIDSERVE and Moto unveil 17 new EV chargers at Electric Super Hubs

July 4, 2022Charging, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and Comment, UncategorizedRepost

GRIDSERVE and Moto have unveiled 17 new electric vehicle (EV) chargers across two sites, as they continue to roll out their Electric Super Hubs.

Six 350kW-capable EV chargers have been installed at Moto Severn View and 11 at Moto Heston, with both sites chosen to help expand the charging options of those travelling between London, South Wales and the South West.

All of the new chargers have been designed to include both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, to accept contactless payments and to provide at least one extra-wide accessible charging bay for every six EV charging spaces.

Just about to finish at Cherwell (Image: T. Larkum)

Real-time status updates will be available for the chargers on a myriad of EV charging maps, the companies said, including on Zap-Map.

In 2022, GRIDSERVE and Moto have added 53 high power chargers across six new Electric Super Hubs, including chargers in Thurrock going live in May, and Exeter, Burton-in-Kendal and Swansea in April.

“GRIDSERVE is continuing its multimillion-pound investment in the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charging network with the launch of its fifth and sixth Electric Super Hubs delivered so far this year,” said Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE.

Read more: Current+

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Ecotricity ‘hands the baton’ to GRIDSERVE as it acquires the Electric Highway

June 19, 2021Charging, Ecotricity, Electric Cars, GRIDSERVE, News, Reviews and CommentRepost

Following the acquisition of a 25% stake in March, GRIDSERVE has now fully taken on Ecotricity’s Electric Highway electric vehicle (EV) charging network.

When it took its initial stake in the network, GRIDSERVE announced it would be replacing all existing Electric Highway chargers, as the existing infrastructure had become outdated in the decade since it was created. In fact, it was ranked the worst public charging network in a survey of Zap-Map users in January, with common complaints including that the chargers are old, poorly maintained and frequently out of service.

GRIDSERVE said it is “ramping up investment” in the network through the replacement works, with the new chargers to feature all the latest advances including contactless payment. Indeed, last month the first high-power charging facility was opened at Moto’s Motorway services at Rugby, with this site featuring 12 350kW chargers.

Speaking to Current± following the initial replacement works being announced, Toddington Harper, CEO of GRIDSERVE, said the company was “moving heaven and earth as fast as possible to get new chargers in place in hopefully every location”.

The Electric Highway offers an 80% charge in half an hour for compatible vehicles

Having now completely handed the network off to GRIDSERVE – who Ecotricity founder Dale Vince described as the “ideal company to hand the baton to” as the network needs an owner with “access to serious funding” – Ecotricity is now able to focus on its core green energy business, with plans to bring forward a series of solar and battery storage projects to be built without government support.

“We’ve reached an interesting point in the electric car revolution, exponential growth is just around the corner, the technology for charging has evolved with one standard and an incredible rate of charging now being possible – using an electric car is almost on a par with using a fossil powered car, where you can just top up once every week or two,” Vince added.

In January, the energy supplier signed a power purchase agreement with Geothermal Engineering, becoming the first UK supplier of geothermal electricity.

It is also looking to expand its Sky Mining facility, a world first carbon capture and storage process that turns atmospheric carbon dioxide into diamonds.

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