UK’s largest public electric car rapid charging hub installed in Milton Keynes

The UK’s largest public electric car rapid charging hub has been installed just off the M1.

The BP Chargemaster hub is located at Milton Keynes Coachway and features eight UK-made 50kW Ultracharge rapid chargers running on Polar, the largest public charging network in the country.

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The hub is also fitted with three high-visibility canopies so drivers know where the chargers can be found and are able to take shelter in the event of poor weather. The facilities of Milton Keynes Coachway, including a cafe, are also accessible from the site.

Milton Keynes Council designed and built the hub with the help of its contractors, Ringway, as part of the Go Ultra Low City programme. The funding came as part of a £9m package from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles to support the growth of electric vehicles in the town.

Since going live, the hub has been used to charge more than 500 cars, with the launch event demonstrating a BMW i3s, Hyundai Kona Electric, Jaguar I-Pace, Kia Soul EV, Nissan LEAF, Renault ZOE, Volkswagen e-up! and Volkswagen e-Golf all using its chargers.

The site was opened by the mayor of Milton Keynes, councillor Martin Petchey, along with Brian Matthews, head of transport innovation at Milton Keynes Council, and David Martell, chief executive of BP Chargemaster.

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Matthews said the council was “very proud” of the new facility, which he said was part of the town’s plan for “supporting electric vehicle drivers”.

Meanwhile, Martell added that the “convenient” hub would “join the 300 Fastcharge and 65 rapid chargers” that BP Chargemaster already operates in the Milton Keynes area.

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