E.ON Drive, the electric vehicle (EV) EV infrastructure arm of energy major E.ON, has opened ten ultra-fast 300kW charging bays at its new Cross Hands Hub between the towns of Carmarthen and Llanelli in Wales.
The company’s first ultrafast EV charging hub in Wales fills a critical 20-mile gap in the local EV charging network. The chargers onsite can provide up to 150 miles of driving range in as little as ten minutes, depending on the EV being charged.
E.ON Drive already operates thousands of EV charging stations across Europe. Dev Chana, managing director of E.ON Drive Infrastructure UK, noted that the firm has several more hubs planned for Wales as part of a wider UK expansion.
Chana added: “This hub is a major milestone, not just for Wales but for ensuring the UK is more joined up and better equipped for a future powered by electric vehicles. Our latest charging hub at Cross Hands highlights our commitment to driving innovation in cleaner motoring and offering sustainable and accessible solutions for drivers across the country.”
E.ON drives forward EV chargepoint expansion
This latest announcement from E.ON Drive comes less than a month after the firm announced it had agreed a crucial new software deal to support the rollout of more chargepoints in its network.
E.ON Drive announced in September that it had signed a framework agreement with global technology giant Siemens, granting E.ON Drive Infrastructure access to Siemens’ SICHARGE D high-power chargers and web-based backend services to run them for a two year period. E.ON has also ordered several Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled electricity substations, which will allow the firm to manage the energy supply for its newly installed EV chargers more effectively.
The effort to increase charger installations across the UK is a key step in the EV revolution, as figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) have revealed that demand for EVs has hit a new high, with a 20.5% share of the overall vehicle market. According to figures released on World EV Day (9 September), global EV chargepoint numbers need to increase by 500% in order to meet demand, with the UK alone requiring a nearly 350% increase in chargepoint installations. Meanwhile, research from Cornwall Insight has found that the UK needs to more than double the rate at which it is installing publicly available EV chargers if it is to meet its 2030 target of 300,000 chargepoints.
