National Grid plans superfast EV chargers on motorways

The National Grid is looking at plans to install superfast charging points for electric vehicles along motorways that would feed directly off the electricity transmission network, the Financial Times has reported.

The chargers would provide up to 350KW of power and would allow a driver to charge their car in five to 12 minutes.

Graeme Cooper, project director of electric vehicles at the National Grid, has said that the firm has identified 50 strategic sites for the chargers. These locations mean that more than 90 per cent of drivers would be able to drive in any direction from any location in the UK and be within 50 miles of an ultra-rapid charger.

The grid infrastructure would cost between £500m and £1bn, or about 60p per driver per year if all motorists shared the cost, according to National Grid estimates.

Analysts believe superfast chargers connected to the transmission network could also help prevent local power shortages.

Commenting on the news story, Matthew Trevaskis, head of electric vehicles at the Renewable Energy Association, said: “This is an important milestone for the development of a strategic, accessible, and reliable electric vehicle charging network in the UK. National Grid will play an increasingly crucial role in EV rollout and it is excellent to see some big-picture thinking from them on this issue.

“The pace of progress relating to EV rollout from automotive manufacturers, charge companies, and grid operators is rapidly increasing, and it is now up to Government and regulators to build on the excellent work done to date and to implement documents such as the Smart Systems and Flexibility Plan.”