Braintree in Essex to be the first location of Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt

Gridserve announced that it has submitted a planning application to build an Electric Forecourt in Braintree, the first of over 100 sites across the UK that aim to make charging an electric vehicle (EV) as easy as using petrol stations.

Braintree Electric Forecourt, located next to the Horizon 120 Business & Innovation Park, planned for Great Notley, will offer the world’s fastest charging rates, charging a typical EV in less than 30-minutes, and put Braintree at the vanguard of the low-carbon transport revolution. The location of the forecourt will offer direct access to major link roads, while also capturing both regional and last mile travel for homes and businesses.

The planning application has been lodged with Braintree District Council by Gridserve. The application includes 24 ultra-fast charging bays, a coffee shop, convenience supermarket, and an airport-style lounge with high-speed internet, which will also serve as an education centre and hub to explore a broad range of EV solutions. The site will have dedicated zones for both private and fleet vehicles, such as taxis, buses, delivery vehicles and heavy goods vehicles. 

Cllr John McKee, Cabinet Member for Corporate Transformation at Braintree District Council, said: “We’re delighted that Gridserve is looking at a site next to Horizon 120 to locate their very first ‘Electric Forecourt’ which will not only serve the businesses relocating to our park, but also all the residents in our district thinking about switching to green energy.”

The Electric Forecourt is designed specifically for the needs of drivers, delivering convenient, ultra-fast and low-cost charging for every electric vehicle on the market today. 

Toddington Harper, CEO and founder of Gridserve, said: “A large number of affordable EVs are coming to-market, and we’re about to see a steep growth curve in EV adoption. By developing this state-of-the-art Electric Forecourt in Braintree, we’ll be supporting Braintree District Council and the UK to tackle air pollution, encourage low-carbon transport, and meet climate targets, while also offering a solution that’s future proofed to support the mass uptake of electric vehicles. Every site will be powered by batteries and supplied by solar energy. With convenient, dependable, ultra-fast charging, we’re making charging an EV as easy as using petrol stations.”

At the Braintree Electric Forecourt, each vehicle will be able to charge simultaneously at the fastest power levels supported. This includes 350kW chargers – offering less than 30-minute charge times, with options to upgrade chargers to 500kW, and MW charging options for buses and heavy goods vehicles. Gridserve is also investing in grid infrastructure and new solar energy capacity to be able to deliver dependable, clean, low-cost energy that materially improves the business case for EVs, and is competitive with the cost of home charging.

The site will include 24 ultra-fast charging bays, with batteries to support the maximum power requirements of all chargers simultaneously. A queuing system will also minimise waiting times, with a future upgrade that will allow customers to be able to reserve charging slots in advance. 

Gridserve plans to submit further planning applications at more than 100 additional Electric Forecourt sites already secured on busy routes, near powerful grid connections close to towns, cities, and major transport hubs across the country. Location permitting, the company will also build new solar farms adjacent to Electric Forecourts, which will supply their electricity directly. Gridserve is also developing several large solar farms, supported by batteries, to supply energy via the grid for the remaining sites, to ensure that 100% of the electricity is clean, and low cost.

In the coming months, Gridserve is expected to submit planning applications for several additional Electric Forecourt sites, in particular in York and Hull, adjacent to two of the UK’s most advanced solar farms which are also being constructed by Gridserve.