InstaVolt finishes its largest UK charging hub

Banbury, Oxfordshire is now home to one of the largest EV charging hubs in the UK, with eight new 150KWh ports complimenting the town's existing systems as charging supplier InstaVolt lays the finishing touches to its largest site to date.

With the UK's ban on the sale of new combustion-engine vehicles looming, companies and local authorities are scrambling to ensure there are enough charging stations for when the law comes into effect in 2030.

Stroud Park in Banbury was already home to eight 125 KWh charging stations, with the new stations taking the total number of ports at the site to 16 in response to increasing demand for rapid and easy to use charging points across the country.

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In addition to the new chargers, the area has also seen other development. New lighting has been placed at the site and access spaces have been widened to accommodate the more diverse EV fleets that are being seen.

The firm is also laying out plans to install seating to the hub and some plants to add a sprinkle of colour and increase biodiversity for pollinating insects.

InstaVolt has pledged to install 10,000 charging stations by 2032, two years after the UK ban comes into effect. It has forged partnerships with retail giants such as Costa Coffee, McDonald's, Bannatyne Health Clubs and Booths Supermarkets with the aim of integrating its charging ports into their car parks.

The company claims that in the last year alone, it has expanded its network by 45%. The firm currently operates over 700 charging ports with plans to hit 1,000 by the summer.

InstaVolt's CEO said the company is committed to ensuring customers have enough charging stations to suit their needs and that the company will continue to work over the next decade.

"We go further than just installing charge points where we see demand – we work on the overall experience," Adrian Keen said.

"As well as expanding the site, we have introduced better lighting and a variety of parking bay sizes to accommodate different vehicles, all whilst continuing to offer class-leading reliability and simple, contactless payment.

“We know that the key to encouraging uptake of electric vehicles falls largely on the shoulders of organisations like InstaVolt who are instrumental in placing the infrastructure. We take great pride and pleasure in ensuring that this infrastructure is implemented to create the best user experience possible.

“The launch of the Banbury hub follows our most successful period to date and is indicative of our continued methods of activity as we work toward our 2032 goal," he added.

The ports are designed to charge a vehicle quickly and currently operate on a system of contactless card payment with no additional subscription or sign-ups required.

Read more: EQT buys InstaVolt to hasten UK EV charging rollout

Work on the Banbury site extension commenced in January 2022 and saw the new 150KWh ports installed to complement the existing infrastructure.

InstaVolt was recently acquired by EQT Infrastructure in a bid to hasten the rollout of public EV charging stations across the UK.

It is currently estimated that as many as one-third of homes will lack easy access to EV charging, which has prompted a number of initiatives for both private and public charging systems.

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