Skip to main content

New charging network brings electric motoring to UK drivers

The completion of a new charging network that stretches the length of Britain’s busiest roads makes long-distance, cross-border journeys by electric vehicles (EV) a realistic prospect for millions more drivers in the UK and Ireland. The network stretches from Stranraer in Scotland to Suffolk in the East of England, from Hull in the North East to Holyhead in north-west Wales, connecting with Belfast in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Each installation includes at least two of t
February 26, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The completion of a new charging network that stretches the length of Britain’s busiest roads makes long-distance, cross-border journeys by electric vehicles (EV) a realistic prospect for millions more drivers in the UK and Ireland.

The network stretches from Stranraer in Scotland to Suffolk in the East of England, from Hull in the North East to Holyhead in north-west Wales, connecting with Belfast in Northern Ireland and Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

Each installation includes at least two of the latest state-of-the-art multi-standard charge points that are compatible with most EVs on sale today: with outlets available for 44kW CCS, 44kW CHAdeMO or 43kW AC systems. Each charging point is said to be capable of powering a typical electric vehicle’s battery to 80 per cent of its capacity in less than 30 minutes.

The US$8.1 million (€7.4 million) investment in the rapid charge network was part-funded by the European Union’s Trans European Transport Network programme and by four major EV manufacturers: 838 Nissan, 1731 BMW, 2453 Renault and 994 Volkswagen. ESB in Ireland and 6640 Ecotricity in the UK and are the network operators, providing power to the entire rapid charge network charging stations.

The new network was conceived and implemented by Sunderland-based Zero Carbon Futures to meet increasing demand for public charge points and to encourage more motorists to make the switch to plug-in power.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Belfast to develop an intermodal transport hub with EU support
    February 20, 2015
    The EU's TEN-T Programme is to provide almost US$4 million for preparatory studies for a cross-border train and bus service linking Belfast in Northern Ireland to the rest of UK and neighbouring countries. The service will also integrate other transport modes and ensure a connection to Belfast’s Central Business District. The studies will identify how best to deliver a fully integrated service with amenities other transport users (taxis, cyclists, private cars, pedestrians) and a seamless connection to the
  • Extended EV charging infrastructure launched
    September 12, 2013
    UK city Corby is aiming to be a leading edge business location, with the launch of an extended electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. To complement the EV charge points already at Corby Station and the Corby Cube, charge points have been installed at a range of venues and businesses including the Holiday Inn, Adrenaline Alley and Corby Town Football Club. Corby now has one of the highest concentrations of charge points per head of population in the UK.
  • Belfast and Bristol ‘most congested cities in UK’
    April 5, 2013
    According to the 2012 Congestion Index from satellite navigation specialists TomTom, motorists in Bristol and Belfast now face the slowest moving traffic in Britain. Even London’s infamous rush hour is less congested than peak-time jams in cities like Manchester and Nottingham, the annual global traffic figures found. The index shows that the average journey for drivers in Belfast takes 32.1 per cent longer than it would do if traffic moved freely, while in Bristol, journeys take 31 per cent longer. Londo
  • Europe lagging behind on standard ESC deployment
    February 18, 2014
    According to Frost & Sullivan, the European Electronic Stability Control (ESC) market is expected to reach a market value of close to US$2.7 billion by 2020. Among the various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), it is the upper tiers in the pyramid that attract maximum fitment rates, with the German big three claiming close to 100 per cent fitment across the eight segments they cater to. ESC is the most dominant enabler for active and passive safety technologies. Built into a car, it is crucial to a