Work has started on the UK’s largest public EV charging hub, located at Redbridge Park & Ride in Oxford, which will see the installation of 38 fast and ultra-rapid EV chargers.
The Oxford Superhub, which is being developed by Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, and Oxford City Council, as part of Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO), is expected to open to the public in spring 2022.
The start of work is regarded as a key milestone in the completion of ESO, as Oxford is set to launch the UK’s first Zero Emission Zone in February 2022.
It will see the installation of:
- 10 Fastned chargers with up to 300kW of power, capable of adding up to 300 miles of range in 20 minutes. As demand grows, Fastned will bring the charger total to at least 14
- 16 Gamma Energy chargers with between 7-22kW of power
- 12 250kW Tesla Superchargers
The Superhub will be powered by totally renewable energy, partly generated a Fastned solar roof, and all makes and models of EVs will be able to charge at the highest rates possible simultaneously. Chargers will be open 24/7 and payment can be contactless or app based.
Pivot Power’s EV charging network will provide 10MW of power on site – reportedly enough to meet the growing need for EV charging in the area for the next 30 years.
Furthermore, the Oxford Superhub will be directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network, providing the power needed to charge large numbers of EVs quickly, without putting strain on the local electricity network.
It will share this connection with a 50MW hybrid battery – the largest ever deployed – that will combine lithium-ion and vanadium flow technology to enable more renewable power onto the grid.
The network also has capacity to expand to key locations throughout Oxford to meet mass EV charging needs, from buses and taxis to commercial fleets.
“This is an exciting next step in the Energy Superhub Oxford project, and I am delighted that work has now started at Redbridge Park & Ride to install the UK’s largest public electric vehicle hub,” said councillor Tom Hayes, deputy leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for green transport and Zero Carbon Oxford.
“Providing electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial to help us achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040 and to support the uptake of electric vehicles.”
The Oxford Superhub is one of up to 40 similar sites planned by Pivot Power across the UK to help deliver charging infrastructure for the estimated 36 million EVs by 2040.
The work, which is being coordinated by Oxford City Council, will see the installation of the EV Superhub located outside of the bus terminal. A small number of trees will need to be removed in order to lay the cabling to the chargers, however these will be replaced on the site.
ESO is a £41m world-first project, led by Pivot Power, which integrates rapid EV charging, hybrid battery storage, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies to support Oxford to be zero carbon by 2040 or earlier.
The project is part-funded by government and is being delivered by a consortium of companies comprising Pivot Power, Oxford City Council, University of Oxford, Habitat Energy, Kensa Contracting, and Invinity Energy Systems.
ESO will reportedly save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year once fully operational – equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road, increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.
The project is designed to provide a model for cities across the UK and globally to cut carbon and improve air quality.
