Works start at Banbury off M40 on major rapid charge hub

Works start at Banbury off M40 on one of the UK’s biggest EV rapid charging hubs

Work has begun just off the M40 in Banbury on building one of the UK’s largest rapid charging hubs, providing much needed electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the UK’s strategic road network.

InstaVolt, has broken ground for eight state of the art CPE250 high powered chargers, among the fastest in the UK, which will be switched on late summer.

Located just off the M40 at Junction 11, drivers will be able to charge their EVs while enjoying an array of facilities including a Costa Coffee, Frankie & Benny’s restaurant and a Miller and Carter steakhouse.

Adrian Keen, CEO of InstaVolt, said: “Strategically Banbury Hub is very important to us as it sits just off one of the country’s busiest motorways, serving the Capital in one direction and the UK’s second city Birmingham, in the other. With eight chargers it means drivers will be able to rely on a recharge when they need it most and they will also have the benefit of enjoying the facilities on site while they charge.”

Keen continued: “A lack of charging infrastructure on the country’s motorways is often cited as a concern for current and prospective EV drivers. We are solving that problem by deploying chargers where drivers need them most by developing sites up and down the road network just a few hundred metres from motorway junctions.”

Victoria Prentice, MP for North Oxfordshire, said: “It is brilliant news that one of the UK’s largest rapid charging hubs is going to be built in Banbury. Climate change is one of the most important challenges we face today. We have some ambitious targets to reach by 2050. Improving access to charging points so more people can consider an electric vehicle to reduce emissions on our roads is a step in the right direction. I am so pleased to see North Oxfordshire leading the way as we become more eco-friendly.” Prentice also serves as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in Defra.

InstaVolt has built its reputation on the philosophy that charging an electric vehicle should be quick and easy which is why, unlike many other companies, InstaVolt operates an ‘open charger’ model, so anyone can use its charging points on a pay-as-you-go basis. No monthly subscription and no membership cards are required with drivers just needing a contactless payment card to start a charging session.

Just last month, InstaVolt was named as the best electric vehicle charging network for multiple brands in 2020 in Auto Express’ first ever chargepoint operator survey. In its Driver Power customer satisfaction rankings, the highly respected motoring magazine also gives InstaVolt its coveted “Recommended” award.

Auto Express asked EV and plug-in hybrid drivers to rank public chargepoint providers in four key areas: how easy their chargers are to use; how much they cost; how fast they can top up a car’s batteries; and how much you can depend on the chargers to work.

The accolade adds to the recognition that InstaVolt earned in the Zap-Map survey where electric car drivers across the county named InstaVolt as their favourite charging network for multiple brands for the second year running.

Mr Keen also acknowledged the unprecedented times brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak. He said: “I would like to take this opportunity to reassure EV drivers that our rapid chargers will continue to operate to InstaVolt’s market leading standards of cleanliness and efficiency.”

“While following Government advice, our field engineers will be working closely with our network performance team to implement our rigorous service and maintenance programmes. We have also introduced additional cleaning processes to focus on the high touch areas like plugs and screens.”

To find your nearest InstaVolt charger visit https://instavolt.co.uk/find-electric-vehicle-charge-point-map/