ABB has been selected by GRIDSERVE® to supply the high power electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure for its first Electric Forecourt® in Braintree, Essex, opening in late 2020. The site will serve up to 30 vehicles at one time and is positioned on a busy road between London and the east of England.
The project is the first of more than 100 that GRIDSERVE® - who develop, build, own and operate solar energy and battery storage solutions for critical power infrastructure - is planning to support the UK’s e-mobility revolution. The site will offer EV charging as part of a world-class customer experience including retail outlets, a wellbeing area, business lounge and children’s area.
The Braintree site has the capability to support all types of EV cars, as well as Heavy Good Vehicles. The 30 ABB charging installations include 12 Terra 94 units to provide a quick charge at up to 90kW, 12 Terra HP 175/350 kW units, which are capable of adding 200 miles of range in just 20 minutes, as well as six Terra AC 22 kW chargers.
ABB and GRIDSERVE® collaborated for over two years on this milestone project, with ABB providing technical advice on high-power EV charging and tailoring the installation.
Toddington Harper, CEO at GRIDSERVE®, said: “It has been a pleasure working with the ABB team on delivering this pioneering project that is a step change in supporting the transition to mass market electric vehicles. Our vision for Electric Forecourts® truly makes EV ownership viable to everyone who needs to charge in a convenient way to support their everyday needs. It is ideal for local drivers who don’t have home charging, and for drivers on long journeys who need the fastest and most reliable charging possible.”
ABB’s offering includes cloud-based remote monitoring on the ABB AbilityTM digital platform, as well as speedy on-site maintenance.
Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB's Global E-Mobility Infrastructure Solutions, said: “It’s been a privilege to help GRIDSERVE® realise its first Electric Forecourt®. It’s a visionary concept that will enable drivers, for business or leisure, to charge their vehicles at maximum speed with the advantage of plenty of bays, protection from the UK weather and the comfort of high quality services. Braintree Electric Forecourt® represents an important step on the way to the government’s goal of having high power and hassle-free charge points on England’s motorways and major A roads by 2030. It will be exciting to see how this continues to transform EV ownership in the UK.”
With the 2019 Climate Change Act, which aims for net zero CO2 emissions by 2050, energy supply for electric vehicles will form a significant part of the UK’s decarbonisation strategy. Currently, less than 1% of the 32 million cars on the road in the UK are fully electric. The latest annual Future Energy Scenarios report (FES) by National Grid, operator of the country’s electricity system, estimates that up to 11 million EVs will be needed on the roads by 2030 to achieve the net zero targets. However, the most ambitious scenario laid out in the report suggests this overall vehicle figure will fall to around 20 million by 2050, with societal change sparking a switch to autonomous shared mobility solutions and public transport. With this estimation, EVs would account for over 50% of vehicles on UK roads, requiring a significant electric charging infrastructure such as that being delivered by GRIDSERVE® and ABB.
As a global leader in e-mobility, ABB is committed to driving innovation in the sector, supporting greater adoption of electric vehicles. ABB has unrivalled expertise in electrification, having sold more than 14,000 DC fast chargers across more than 80 countries. ABB recently received the Global E-mobility Leader 2019 award for its role in supporting the international adoption of sustainable transport solutions.
To find out more about ABB’s pioneering range of EV charging technology and solutions for personal and commercial applications, visit www.abb.com/ev-charging.
About ABB
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com
About ABB Electrification
ABB’s Electrification Business Area is a global leader in electrical products and solutions, operating in more than 100 countries, with over 200 manufacturing sites. Our 50,000+ employees are dedicated to delivering safe, smart and sustainable electrification. With ABB AbilityTM enabled digital solutions at its core, our portfolio protects, connects and optimizes the flow of electrical energy for smarter electricity distributionfor utilities, industry, buildings, infrastructure and mobility. For more information visit go.abb/electrification.
About GRIDSERVE® (www.gridserve.com)
GRIDSERVE® will radically transform the experience of using electric vehicles, by delivering a UK-wide, sustainable energy powered network of convenient, customer-focussed Electric Forecourts®, that allow the fastest possible charging of electric vehicles and deliver an awesome customer experience.
GRIDSERVE® is a tech-enabled international sustainable energy business which develops, builds, owns and operates solar energy and battery storage solutions for critical power infrastructure. GRIDSERVE®’s team have been responsible for the development, construction and operation of more than a gigawatt of solar energy and energy storage solutions, including connecting over 100 utility-scale sustainable energy projects to the UK grid.
GRIDSERVE® is interested in connecting with additional operators of fleet vehicles, developers, EV manufacturers, local authorities, and multiple other potential partners who share our vision in collaborating across all the critical power infrastructure we are delivering, including Electric Forecourts®, hybrid solar farms, and remote power solutions.
