Chargemaster claims the faster growing electric vehicle charging network in 2017
Chargemaster has laid claim to growing its network of electric vehicle rapid chargers faster than any other in the country after it added more than 60 rapid chargers to the POLAR network over 2017.
As the UK’s largest electric vehicle public charging network, Chargemaster says its rapid charger additions accounted for more than half of those added nationally.
According to charger database Zap-Map, POLAR now offers electric vehicle drivers a total of 401 43kW and 50+kW connectors at 118 locations.
Over 80% of the rapid chargers added to the POLAR network in 2017 were supplied free of charge to site hosts, including installation, representing private investment of over £1.2 million.
As well as more rapid chargers, over 500 fast charging points were added to the POLAR network last year, the vast majority of which were 7kW although 22kW units were also installed where required and appropriate.
This made POLAR the fastest growing UK-wide public charging network overall, with over 49% of all new charging points.
David Martell, chief executive of Chargemaster, said: “Over 700 charging points were added to the POLAR network in 2017, and we plan to more than double that figure in 2018.”
Source London network to add 1,000 more charge points
BluepointLondon has now secured partnerships with 20 London boroughs to deploy 1,000 chargers currently in storage in an west London warehouse.
Following an agreement signed with Tower Hamlets before the end of 2017, the London network operator says it will now radically transform the capital’s EV infrastructure.
Christophe Arnaud, managing director of BluepointLondon, said: “Source London continues to be London’s leading charging network and we are extremely pleased to be working with 20 boroughs across London.
“Nevertheless we are still far behind other capitals and witness daily the appetite of Londoners for electric vehicles. Providing them with the right infrastructure is essential and only an immediate collaborative effort from all of London’s local authorities will enable us to find the best possible locations for the 1,000 points we have waiting in storage.”
The company has so far spent only £25m of the £100m budget it has allocated to the task and will seek to grow on 2017’s usage figures, which saw the number of monthly charges more than double over the course of year to reach just under 50,000 cycles.
