UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has opened the highly anticipated EV charging hub in the West Midlands, the largest in the UK.
The EV charging hub, known as Gigahub™, is powerful enough to charge 180 cars simultaneously and is located at Birmingham’s NEC Campus.
The Gigahub™ project is a collaboration between the NEC, EV Network, and bp pulse, and received £8m funding from its investment partner Zood Infrastructure Limited.
bp pulse will operate the project, which will provide 30 super-fast, 300kw DC charging bays and 150 7KW a/c charging bays.
The EV charging hub holds significant strategic importance, as it is located in the centre of the UK’s motorway network, close to the M42, M6, and A45 and the new HS2 interchange station.
Jeremy Hunt commented: “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.”
Today, @bppulseuk has opened the UK's largest #ElectricVehicle charging hub in collaboration with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, UK.
Located right in the middle of the country’s motorway network, this new Gigahub ™️ – with 150 fast and 30 ultra-fast charge… pic.twitter.com/M2ewHNurjB
— bp (@bp_plc) September 7, 2023
Gigahub™ represents a milestone for the UK’s EV ambitions
The West Midland EV charging hub is supported by the Government’s electric vehicle infrastructure strategy that is backed by over £2bn to improve EV charging infrastructure.
The UK has made considerable progress so far, installing over 45,500 publicly available electric vehicle charging devices, including more than 8,600 rapid devices.
Additionally, public charging devices have tripled in recent years, from 10,300 devices in January 2019 to over 45,500 in August 2023.
Public changepoints have also grown, rising 38% in the last year alone, according to a recent National Infrastructure Commission report.
The report also suggests that if chargepoint deployment continues to grow at 30% annually, the target of 300,000 chargepoints will be achieved.
Paul Thandi CBE, DL, Chairman of NEC Group, added: “We are proud to contribute to the UK Government’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy. Working in collaboration with EVN and bp pulse, the opening of our EV charging hub provides NEC Campus customers, commuters, and those working for local regional or national businesses a reliable and convenient way to recharge and support a lower carbon travel future.
“This strategic collaboration and initiative strengthen our destination offer, demonstrate our commitment to reducing the impact our business practices and our Masterplan credentials have on the environment, and ultimately supports a reduction in carbon emissions.”
Chargepoint LEVI funding is available to local authorities
At the grand opening of the EV charging HUB, Jeremy Hunt also announced that the first round of the Government’s £343m Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) Capital Fund is available to several local authorities across England.
Authorities will be supported with LEVI funding in two groups: the first will be able to apply now for their allocated funding, and the second will be able to apply in the next financial year.
Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said: “Electric vehicles will play a crucial role in helping the UK to decarbonise transport and reach net zero.
“Today’s measures will deliver tens of thousands of chargepoints across the country, boosting the economy and creating skilled jobs.”
12 projects will receive funding to advance the UK’s electric vehicle sector
Innovate UK has also announced it has granted £5.8m funding to 12 projects through the Driving the Electric Revolution Challenge Fund.
These projects will help pioneer automation and robotics to manufacture EV chargers and help scale up the assembly process for a rare earth-free permanent magnet generator.
