SSE Energy Solutions has signed a major partnership with M7 Real Estate and Oxford Properties to bring its EV charging hub initiative to 20 retail parks across the UK in the next 24 months.
The partnership will aim to deliver new EV sites with up to 12 bays each at 20 of Oxford Properties’ retail warehousing parks across the UK. These are asset managed and operated by M7.
The bays will have ultra-rapid charging capabilities of up to 150kW allowing drivers to charge their vehicles within 20 to 40 minutes of plugging in.
“It is vital that we face the EV infrastructure challenge head on if we are to meet our ambitious decarbonisation targets,” said Kevin Welstead, EV sector director at SSE Energy Solutions.
“We must ensure that drivers are able to access EV charging points easily and conveniently. Retail locations provide a perfect solution; people can simply plug in their vehicle while they shop and return to a fully charged car thanks to our ultra-rapid facilities.”
This new partnership will provide a boost to SSE’s target of installing 300 EV charging hubs by 2027 across the UK and Ireland. This will create a backbone able to support the growing number of EV drivers in the UK.
The first of these hubs launched in September at Castlebank Glasgow. The new ultra-rapid charger hub is situated on Glasgow’s Castlebank Street and features six-bays powered by traceable renewable energy allowing drivers to decrease their overall carbon footprint.
“We believe our assets have an important role to play in supporting the green infrastructure required to help our customers and communities make more sustainable choices,” said James Boadle, senior vice president at Oxford Properties.
“This new initiative between Oxford, M7 and SSE benefits our retailers and shoppers alike with a fast, convenient way to recharge their EVs while shopping. We are firmly committed to playing our part to address climate change and meeting our net zero goals as we continue to decarbonise our global portfolio.”
SSE will be hoping to capitalise on the growing market for EV’s with adoption having seen an increase over the course of 2022. According to the RAC, pure battery electric vehicle (BEV) figures have exceeded half a million to reach 519,266 at the end of June 2022.
The UK is continuing to the rollout EV infrastructure at a rapid rate. EV charging mapping tool Zap-Map confirmed that 1,100 EV charging devices had been installed across the entirety of the UK in September.
