Considering the global warming factor, people around the globe are making a transition towards the electric vehicle in order to avoid the usage of fossil fuel and reduce carbon footprint. If that’s the case, speedy charging is considered essential to getting more people interested in driving electric cars. And this is exactly what Amsterdam-based Fastned provides – a fast-charging network for electric vehicles.
Fastned’s new fast-charging stations
In a recent development, Fastned announced that it has teamed up with Oxford City Council, Pivot Power, Tesla, and Wenea to build and operate one of its largest fast-charging stations at the upcoming Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO).
Matt Allen, CEO at Pivot Power, says, “Our goal is to help the UK accelerate a net zero carbon future by delivering power where it is needed to support the EV and clean energy revolution. Oxford is the first of up to 40 sites we are developing across the UK, and we are delighted to be working with Fastned. As Europe’s leading developer and operator of public ultra-rapid stations, they bring enormous experience and share our mission to help deliver a mobility revolution.”
The company reports that the station will have up to 14 fast chargers and the Tesla Supercharger 12 stalls for a combined number of 26 fast chargers at the hub. In addition, Fastned claims that it will be one of Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hubs, with up to 10MW of power available for future expansion.
The Energy Superhub is located on Oxford’s ring road and integrates with the Redbridge Park and Ride facility. The hub is due to open at the end of 2021.
Councillor Tom Hayes, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford at Oxford City Council, mentioned, “This partnership is a major step forward in the completion of the Energy Superhub Oxford project and supports Oxford City Council’s Zero Emission Zone plans – key to our goal of becoming a zero-carbon city. It is an ambitious urban decarbonisation project which will encourage more businesses to invest in the city.”
About Energy Superhub Oxford
Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) aims to eliminate 10,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year – that’s equivalent to taking 2,000 cars off the road. According to ESO’s website, it plans to do this by installing a large hybrid battery energy storage system, to enable more clean electricity.
This will encourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in Oxford, including the electrification of the Council’s own fleet of vehicles and implementation of electric heating (innovative, small “shoebox” ground source heat pumps) will also help eliminate the carbon associated with heating homes and businesses.
As a key part of Oxford City Council’s response to the climate emergency, ESO will provide a model for cities around the world to cut carbon and improve air quality. ESO is a consortium of six partners, led by Pivot Power, and including public, business and academic organisations, all working together to lower Oxford’s carbon emissions and clean up its air.
ESO is a four-year project launched in April 2019. 2021 is key for the project’s construction phase, and the project is expected to be fully live by the end of the year.
What to expect from the new hub?
Fastned reports that currently, electric drivers in the country (UK) are still facing issues with limited charging infrastructure coverage. The share of fully EVs among all newly registered cars in the UK is increasing rapidly, growing from 1.7 per cent in 2019 to 6.6 per cent in 2020. And with installation of such hubs, it will definitely help the situation for the EVs on the UK roads.
At the Fastned charging station, initially ten electric vehicles will be able to charge simultaneously at rates of up to 300 kW, allowing drivers to add up to 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes. The Fastned station will be powered by energy from the sun and wind, generated partly on-site by its solar canopy.
Fastned can expand the station with four additional chargers. The station will become part of the growing Fastned network in the UK.
Michiel Langezaal, CEO of Fastned, says, “Our mission is to accelerate the transition towards electric mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers. EV drivers experience this freedom when they know that fast and convenient charging is omnipresent. Energy Superhub Oxford is a great initiative by the City Council that supports us in working towards that goal. We need hundreds more and will therefore continue to engage with landowners and partners such as Pivot Power across the UK. Big stations are the only way to provide charging capacity to the exponentially growing number of EVs coming to our roads.”
About Fastned
Founded in 2012 by Michiel Langezaal and Bart Lubbers, Fastned aims to accelerate the transition to electric mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers. The company owns and operates a network of electric vehicle charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, and the UK – the majority of its stations are located at Dutch highway rest areas. As of now, The company has built 129 fast-charging stations in the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and Belgium.
Besides, the company specialises in developing and operating a fast-charging infrastructure where drivers can charge their electric vehicle with up to 300 km of range in 15 minutes before continuing their journey.
Back in February 2021, Fastned raised €150M through an accelerated bookbuild offering of 1,875,000 New Securities in order to further expand its network capacity by adding more stations and chargers at its existing stations.
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