Metrocentre offers EV charging

The Metrocentre retail and leisure complex in Gateshead is offering customers over 50 charging points. This makes it one the largest EV charging facilities in the North East.

The EV chargepoints are spread across three of the centre’s car parks, with the majority being fast chargers which top-up cars in a couple of hours, specifically chosen to be in-line with the average dwell time at Metrocentre. There are also rapid chargers for on-the-go visitors who need a faster getaway.

The 56 EV charging sockets have been installed by Zest. The installation marks the second time Zest has worked with Sovereign Centros, following the opening of 64 charging sockets at Merry Hill in the West Midlands last year. Zest says it has made an investment of around £500,000 at Metrocentre.

Graeme Jones, director at Sovereign Centros, commented: “We are committed to pushing for a more sustainable future across all our destinations, and ensuring accessibility to EV charging is a key part of this. Having worked with Zest on other projects, we saw them as the perfect partner to deliver this for Metrocentre, ultimately helping to deliver our sustainable vision, and removing one of the main barriers to the EV switch for drivers across the North East.”

Robin Heap, chief executive of Zest, said: “In the future we’ll just charge where we park, as part of our normal routine. Retail and leisure destinations that provide the right EV facilities first, as new habits are being formed, are those that will thrive in the migration to EV. We’re delighted to continue our relationship with Sovereign Centros, working with them again to provide these new facilities and to support their vision for Metrocentre’s sustainable future.”

According to research conducted by CACI, 68% of consumers who intend to own an EV will visit retailers and businesses more frequently if they provide the right charging facilities. EV sales in the North East increased by 72% in 2022, and a third of people in the UK now intend to make an EV their next car.

O’Connor Utilities, who all worked tirelessly to deliver this first of its kind project for North Wales in a timely and efficient way.”

Daytime and peak time users will still be required to pay for a parking space at the hub, however the EV bays will have no charges levied between 5pm and 8am as per the rest of the car park.

MFG to invest £50m in EV charging hubs during 2023

Independent forecourt operator Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has announced a £50m EV investment plan for 2023. The company has made a commitment to invest £400m in EV infrastructure by 2030. The planned investment in EV hubs for 2023 will see new hubs providing a further 360 ultra-rapid chargers on the MFG network.

Construction has begun on 12 EV hubs during January 2023, more than the entirety of Q1 2022, demonstrating the increasing velocity of MFG’s investment.

Some 20% of the £400m investment was deployed during 2021 and 2022. Last year the company installed 271 ultra-rapid chargers across its network, with an additional 31 hubs, plus a further 175 chargers in construction. MFG now has 54 hubs open throughout the UK with 271 chargers in operation.

MFG hubs will consist of between four and eight ultra-rapid 150kW EV Chargers per site. 150kW chargers can add 100 miles range in approximately 10 minutes, subject to the charging capability of individual car batteries. These will be augmented with 300kW+ chargers as vehicle battery technology improves to maintain the fastest charging times across the MFG network.

Alongside its investment in EV, MFG has also made a £50m investment in improving its retail, food-to-go, and valeting offer.

Over the coming decades, MFG will operate a dual fuel strategy, meaning it will continue to provide existing fossil fuel infrastructure whilst placing equal importance on rolling out ultra-rapid EV charging hubs.

William Bannister, chief executive of MFG, said: “Our ambition is to invest ahead of the curve, and give drivers who are contemplating purchasing an electric vehicle the confidence that they could travel as easily as with a petrol or hybrid vehicle. Although we have a way to go to achieve this, our investment in 2022 has set us on a positive trajectory. We have set ourselves another ambitious target for openings in 2023, with the plan to energise 360 chargers whilst delivering the best experience possible for our customers.”