The Norwich Electric Forecourt has opened today [21 April 2022] providing 36 EV chargers, including 22 high-power chargers with up to 350kW of power.
The site located at the Broadland Gate Business Park in Postwick, adjacent to the A47, also hosts eight Tesla Superchargers and six low power AC chargers to cater for every type of EV.
The Norwich Electric Forecourt more than doubles the number of high-powered chargers in the region. Norwich and the wider East of England region currently have comparatively low EV charger coverage compared to other regions in the UK – hosting just 29 chargers per 100,000 people compared to the UK average of 42 per 100,000 people, or 102 per 100,000 people in London.
Furthermore, the immediate 10km radius area also has over 40,000 households with no access to off-street parking to accommodate home charging. Gridserve said its Electric Forecourt provides a great solution for drivers looking to switch to an EV who don’t have the ability to charge at home, and for local businesses in the area looking to switch their fleets to electric. It will also help EV drivers to access the city centre and improve connections to surrounding areas such as Ipswich, Cambridge and Peterborough.
Broadland District Council portfolio holder, Councillor Jo Copplestone, said: “Protecting the environment for future generations is a priority for Broadland District Council. We’re quickly moving towards a future where driving an electric vehicle will be the norm and for this to happen, the public must be supported with reliable and affordable charging solutions.
“As we look towards a zero-emissions future, Gridserve’s new Electric Forecourt is a great boost for the district and the region and will help the area accelerate our transition to cleaner transport.”
The Norwich site forms part of Gridserve’s £1bn UK-wide investment into its charging infrastructure network. The company is currently working on a site at Gatwick Airport. Several additional Electric Forecourts also have planning permission including Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Stevenage, with more than 30 additional sites also under development as part of the company’s commitment to deliver over 100 Electric Forecourts.
