UK’s largest electric car charging hub opens in Birmingham

The largest electric car charging hub in the UK has opened at the NEC near Birmingham. Capable of charging 180 electric cars at the same time, it is being run by BP Pulse, one of the biggest players when it comes to EV charging.

Opened on September 7 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt, the ‘GigaHub’ is at the UK’s largest exhibition space, the NEC, that is said to attract seven million visitors annually. It is located near major junctions for the M42 and M6 motorways.

The hub is made up of 30 150kW rapid DC chargers, capable of charging most electric car batteries up to 80 per cent in around half an hour, as well as a further 150 points for slower 7kW chargers. There are designated accessibility charging bays too.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: “This is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK and is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s role as a leader in green industries.

“The ground-breaking site will be a major transport hub for the future and marks a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.”

BP Pulse worked with the EV Network (EVN), which was the investor for the project, after signing a long-term contract with the NEC.

The charging firm has said it ‘plans to roll out hundreds of hubs by 2030’, such as un urban areas, on trunk roads, motorways, retail parks and hotels.

BP Pulse already has three GigaHubs in the UK – one at Park Lane, London, and also at Gatwick Airport and Kettering.

Akira Kirton, vice president of BP Pulse UK, said: “The transition to electric vehicles is evolving at pace which is why bp pulse is focussed on accelerating the development of the UK’s EV infrastructure, delivering the right charging speeds, in the right locations and investing up to £1 billion to do so.

“This new, nationally significant bp pulse Gigahub™ at the heart of the UK’s road network, is another great example of our strategy in action.”