WIN FOR EV-BODY
Huge boost for EV drivers that could solve nightmare queues of furious motorists at service stations
Boss claims queues have boosted confidence in future of electric cars
THERE has been a huge boost for EV drivers that could solve nightmare queues of furious motorists at service stations.
Some service stations have been forced to draft in marshals due to long queues for electric-car chargers.
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But now one company is hoping to make the queues a thing of the past by ploughing in £1 billion on installing more than 1,000 fast chargers by the end of the year.
Toddington Harper, the chief executive of Gridserve, which runs charge points at Moto, Roadchef and Extra service stations, said: "A few years ago it was very difficult to raise funding for charging infrastructure.
“Instead of people worrying about queuing, people worried: ‘Is anybody actually going to turn up? Are electric cars going to be a thing?’
“Queues have given the finance community the confidence to raise the money to make queues a thing of the past.”
The cash injection by Gridserve represents a tenfold expansion since the start of 2023, when there were only 124 chargers.
Mr Harper is now so confident in Gridserve’s plans that he thinks the government does not need to go ahead with a £1 billion subsidy programme.
The boss thinks that the money could instead be used to help rural areas.
Mr Harper said the queues which built up at service stations had one positive impact.
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He told "A few years ago it was very difficult to raise funding for charging infrastructure
“Instead of people worrying about queuing, people worried: ‘Is anybody actually going to turn up? Are electric cars going to be a thing?’
“Queues have given the finance community the confidence to raise the money to make queues a thing of the past.”
At some point this month the country is expected to reach the milestone of one million fully electric cars on the road.
Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, has been critical of the pace at which the charging network has been rolled out.
He said: “Powering up our motorways with the latest charging technology is absolutely critical to speeding up the EV revolution.
“Manufacturers are investing in models, with some already on the market, that can charge at faster rates, and so we need a national network to match, for it to be built ahead of need, and to cut VAT on public charging.”
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