July 05, 2022
New charging hub capable of serving 42 vehicles at once marks latest phase of ambitious Energy Superhub Oxford plans A new electric vehicle (EV) charging hub that has been hailed as Europe's "most powerful" to date will today officially open at a site in Oxford, providing fast and ultra-rapid charging capacity for up to 42 vehicles simultaneously. The opening marks the completion of the Oxford Energy Super Hub, which combines battery, renewables, and EV charging infrastructure that can provide both rapid charge points and grid balancing services. The project has been developed EDF Renewables' subsidiary Pivot Power, charge point technology specialists Fastned, Tesla Superchargers, and Wenea, and Oxford City Council. Fastned has initially installed 10 charging bays at the Superhub with 300kW of power available, capable of adding 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes for hundreds of EVs per day. Meanwhile, Wenea has deployed 20 7-22kW charging bays and a further 12 250kW Tesla Superchargers will be available for Tesla owners. Work to install Wenea's EV charging stations was carried out by ODS - a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford City Council. Significantly, the project features 10MW of installed capacity on site, meaning the hub can scale up to provide charging for 400 vehicles as the UK fleet continues to transition towards plug-in models. The site, which is located at Oxford's Redbridge Park and Ride, will also be powered entirely by renewable energy. The project was today welcomed by Transport Minister, Trudy Harrison, who said the project was the latest milestone in the UK's plans to rapidly expand its EV charging network. "Both the government and industry, working together, are investing billions in projects like this to help provide the infrastructure to support the UK's electric revolution and soaring EV sales," she said. "This in turn will help us decarbonise transport, create high-skilled jobs, and provide cleaner air across the UK." The opening of the charging hub comes on the same day as the activation of Energy Superhub Oxford's hybrid battery system, which has been developed by Pivot Power to store renewable energy at times of high supply and provide flexibility to the UK's grid. The project combines a 2MW/5MWh vanadium flow battery from energy storage specialist Invinity Energy Systems with a 50MW/50MWh lithium-ion battery from technology company Wärtsilä that together deliver an innovative energy storage solution that can balance the intermittency of renewable energy on the grid. Matt Allen, CEO and Co-Founder of Pivot Power, said the charging and battery hubs provided a template for other cities to follow that could enable significant emissions reductions from urban centres. "Urban decarbonisation is ground zero for the immediate emissions reductions needed to tackle the climate crisis," he said. "Energy Superhub Oxford provides a vision of the future, today. By delivering a world-leading project that cuts emissions across transport, power and heat, we are breaking new ground to help the UK reach net zero sooner." Pivot Power is now working on plans to expand its charging network to key locations throughout Oxford to help decarbonise public and private transport, taxis and commercial fleets, and providing infrastructure for the city's pilot Zero Emission Zone - a first-of-its-kind scheme that would apply fees to any non-electric vehicle entering a central zone. Meanwhile, a substation has already been installed at the Oxford Bus Company's Watlington Road depot, ready to support the company's plans to introduce over 100 electric buses in the coming two years. Pivot Power is planning to build up to 40 Energy Superhubs across the UK, with the next two projects already underway in Coventry and Sandwell, to the northwest of Birmingham. Once complete, the network could provide almost 10 per cent of the energy storage that the UK is predicted to require by 2035, the company said.