Gridserve has taken a 25 per cent stake in Ecotricity’s network of motorway charging stations for electric vehicles.
As part of the new partnership, the firm will also help “turbocharge” the Electric Highway by providing its front and back-office technology.
All of the existing chargers on the network, which was launched in 2011, will be replaced to double their capacity and offer all three connection types – CCS, CHAdeMO and AC – as well as contactless payment. Up to a dozen of the newest and fastest 350kW chargers will be installed.
Funding for the programme will be provided by Gridserve shareholder Hitachi Capital, which is also helping to bankroll the buildout of the company’s planned £1 billion network of Electric Forecourt charging stations, the first of which was opened at Braintree in Essex earlier this year.
Ecotricity founder Dale Vice said: “I’m a fan of Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt concept, their vision and passion in this space. To be able to work together to make sure the Electric Highway continues to lead the electric car revolution in Britain is an exciting prospect.”
Gridserve chief executive Toddington Harper said: “I’ve been driving an electric vehicle for 8 years, and the Electric Highway was the network that originally made that possible. It’s therefore a huge privilege for myself and Gridserve to take a role alongside Ecotricity in the next evolution of the Electric Highway.
He added: “The new network will feature all of Gridserve’s world-leading technology to ensure that electric vehicle charging is straightforward, anxiety free and delivers an awesome customer experience”.