UK’s first ‘electric forecourt’ will charge 30 cars at once and offer ‘best of British’ roadside services

The company behind Britain’s first EV-focused service station has revealed details of the new facility it claims will revolutionise roadside services.

Gridserve’s Electric Forecourt will feature shops from well-known brands including WH Smith and Costa Coffee, business meeting spaces, a children’s play area and even an EV education centre as well as ultra-rapid charging for up to 30 vehicles at a time.

The site near Braintree, Essex is intended to be the first in a £1 billion series of 100 service sites combining the latest EV charging infrastructure with what Gridserve claims will be a “radically improved” experience for customers.

Toddington Harper, founder and CEO of Gridserve, said: “Our UK-wide network of over 100 customer-focused Electric Forecourts will eliminate range and charging anxiety by making it easier and cheaper to charge an electric vehicle than to fuel a petrol or diesel alternative.

“The UK’s first Electric Forecourt represents so much more than an electric equivalent of a modern petrol station – it will deliver a fully loaded customer experience, offering the best of British retail and customer service to cater for a full range of consumer and driver needs.”

The Braintree site, which is due to open in November features 24 350kW ultra-rapid chargers. In compatible vehicles these can add up to 200 miles of range in less than half an hour, although only the Porsche Taycan currently supports such high-power charging, with other vehicles charging at more common 50kW or 100kW standards.