A new EV charging hub, named 'Gigahub,' capable of charging 180 vehicles simultaneously, was opened at the NEC in Birmingham on Thursday 7th September. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt inaugurated the £8 million project, marking the UK's largest private investment in EV charging.
The NEC Group collaborated with The EV Network and BP Pulse to create the Gigahub, featuring 150 rapid charging points and 30 ultra-rapid chargers. It serves the seven million annual NEC visitors and over 50 million vehicles passing through the nearby road system near the M42 and M6.
The Gigahub aligns with the UK Government's goal to make EV charging more affordable and accessible than traditional fuels by 2030, including quadrupling the number of public rapid chargers by 2025 compared to 2020. A £1.6 billion budget allocated in 2022 supports this initiative, with £950 million for motorway chargers and the rest for local councils to install infrastructure in communities.
Local authorities can apply for funding from the Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital Fund, with councils in the Midlands planning to add over 17,400 public EV charging points by 2025. Midlands Connect CEO Maria Machancoses highlighted that this funding will particularly benefit those without off-street parking, improving accessibility to EV charging.
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