BP opens UK’s largest charging center in Birmingham that can charge 180 electric vehicles at once
- BP Pulse has opened its third gigahub in Britain at the NEC exhibition center
- The site has 30 300 kW ultra-fast charging points and another 150 7 kW devices
- Chancellor Jeremy Hunt opened the ‘UK’s largest freight hub’ this week
Could this be the end of range and charging anxiety for electric car owners driving around the Midlands?
Called gigahub, it has been created by BP Pulse at Birmingham’s NEC and claims to be the UK’s “largest charging station”.
It can charge up to 180 electric vehicles at a time, although at different speeds.
Could this site mean the end of freight anxiety in the Midlands? BP has opened the UK’s “largest charging centre” in Birmingham, and it can power the batteries of many electric vehicles at the same time.
With the NEC exhibition center close to the main junctions of the On the M42 and M6 motorways, it offers a charging solution for electric vehicle owners on long journeys.
It could mean the end of long queues at service stations on West Midlands motorways, as seen last Christmas when some electric car owners were forced to wait two to three hours to charge their cars while heading to visit family and friends.
The gigahub is capable of charging up to 30 electric vehicles with ultra-fast 300 kW DC connections, which should be able to recharge the batteries of the latest models from 10 to 80 percent in about half an hour.
A further 150 EVs can be connected to 7kW AC charging points, which offer much slower charging speeds.
NEC’s extensive Gigahub is capable of charging up to 30 EVs with ultra-fast 300kW DC connections and a further 150 EVs via 7kW AC charging points.
As the NEC exhibition center is close to major motorway junctions M42 and M6, it offers a charging solution for electric vehicle owners on long journeys.
Also downtown is a drive-thru Starbucks so drivers can grab coffee and other snacks while they wait for their car’s range to be extended.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt officially opened the gigahub on Thursday.
At the launch event, he said: ‘This is the largest 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.
“This innovative site will be an important transportation hub for the future and marks a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country.”
The gigahub will serve the seven million visitors drawn annually to the NEC Campus, as well as those passing through.
With annual traffic around the center location reaching 60 million, it will be a highly used service for early adopters of electric vehicles.
The gigahub was officially opened on Thursday (September 7) by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt.
The gigahub will serve the seven million visitors drawn annually to the NEC Campus, as well as those who pass through it.
With annual traffic around the center location reaching 60 million, it will be a highly used service for early adopters of electric vehicles.
Akira Kirton, vice president of BP Pulse UK, said: “The transition to electric vehicles is evolving at a rapid pace, which is why BP Pulse is focused on accelerating the development of the UK’s electric vehicle infrastructure, delivering the fastest speeds. in the right places and investing up to £1 billion to do so.
‘This new BP Pulse gigacentre, of national significance and situated at the heart of the UK’s road network, is another great example of our strategy in action.
“We plan to deploy hundreds of hubs this decade in places where EV drivers need them: urban areas, major roads and highways, and in destinations such as restaurants, business parks and hotels.”
The NEC site is BP’s third gigahub in the country, and is now operational alongside the Park Lane location in central London and another at Gatwick Airport.
