The UK National Grid is looking to install an entire fleet of superfast electric car charging points along Britain’s motorways that would get their power from the country’s electricity network.
The idea behind the new superfast chargers is to alleviate the concerns of many consumers, who don’t think electric cars currently have enough range to be able to complete several journeys. The National Grid has said it has identified 50 potential sites for chargers, that would see 90 per cent of electric car owners being within 50 miles of a charger no matter which direction they travel in.
The chargers themselves will benefit from 350 kilowatts of power, which means cars can be charged within 5 to 12 minutes, far quicker than the 20 to 40 minutes it currently takes to fully recharge the battery.
The charging network will of course put a strain on the Grid; if 100 chargers were installed at each of the 50 sites, it would equate to 35 megawatts of power, which is enough to power 14,000 homes.
Graeme Cooper, project director of electric vehicles, National Grid said: “It’s the critical infrastructure that’s key, it’s about future-proofing the network so it has the capacity to charge cars as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
“Range anxiety is listed at the top of reasons for not buying an electric car. National Grid is engaging with various parts of the Government and is offering scenario planning as a potential answer to show what’s possible”.
If given the go ahead, the scheme to install the charging points will cost between £500m and £1bn.
The news is the latest development for electric vehicles in the UK, after Shell and BP have both confirmed they will be installing electric car charging points at select forecourts this year.
