bp pulse, The EV Network (EVN) and NEC Group have launched the UK’s largest public electric vehicle (EV) charging hub on the NEC Campus in Birmingham. This Gigahub™ was officially opened on 7 September 2023 by The Chancellor of the Exchequer, The Rt Hon Jeremy
Hunt MP.
The Chancellor stated: “This is the biggest private investment in electric charging in the UK and is a huge vote of confidence in Britain’s role as a leader in green industries.
“The ground-breaking site will be a major transport hub for the future and marks a significant step in our rollout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the country”.
The Gigahub™ will help serve the seven million visitors attracted to the NEC campus annually, along with a wide range of other road users that make up the area’s average yearly traffic count of 60 million. The site is accessed via the main NEC Campus through road, less than 1 mile from junction 6 on the M42 and just 2.4 miles from junction 7A for the M6.
Capable of charging 180 EVs simultaneously, the Gigahub™ boasts cutting-edge ultra-fast 16x 300KW DC chargers, of which two are designated accessible bays. These ultra-fast chargers are capable of charging 30 EVs simultaneously. The site also has a further 150 points for 7KW charging including additional designated accessible bays.
The range of charging speeds offered by the Gigahub™, from 300kW for ultra-fast DC charging to 7kW AC charging for longer stays, addresses the diverse needs of different types of EV drivers.
Akira Kirton, vice president of bp pulse UK, said: “The transition to electric vehicles is evolving at pace which is why bp pulse is focussed on accelerating the development of the UK’s EV infrastructure, delivering the right charging speeds, in the right locations and investing up to £1 billion to do so.
“This new, nationally significant bp pulse Gigahub™ at the heart of the UK’s road network, is another great example of our strategy in action.
“We plan to roll out hundreds of hubs this decade in places EV drivers needs them – urban areas, on trunk roads and motorways and at destinations such as restaurants, retail parks and hotels.”