Osprey opens largest EV charging hub in South West
Osprey Charging has opened the largest ultra-rapid electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in the South West – a 16-bay dedicated EV re-charging location at Salmon’s Leap, Buckfastleigh which is the company’s first land acquisition.
The flagship 1.6 acre site on the A38 Devon Expressway is open and ready to serve the high volumes of seasonal traffic expected in Devon this summer. It will also provide local residents, businesses and visitors with reliable EV infrastructure, helping to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and support local decarbonisation efforts.
The car park has been re-designed specifically for EV charging: there are two extra-long bays for towing vehicles, extra-wide bays for full disabled access, and all bays are laid out in Osprey’s unique format that optimises space and charger ease-of-use, so that the hub accommodates all types of vehicle and driver.
The site is easily accessible from both the Plymouth-bound and Exeter-bound carriageways of the A38, and is the ideal place to charge an EV whilst taking a journey break or visiting the farm shop. A planning application is underway for a service-station style canopy, to further enhance the site.
The 16 high-power charge points at the hub are compatible with every rapid-charging vehicle on the market. Each is capable of 300kW charging for vehicles able to accept this high power, without wasting any power on lower-capability cars thanks to the latest innovative load-balancing technology. This means customers of the hub can add 100 miles of range in just 15-25 minutes.
Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Salmon’s Leap. We purchased the land so have been able to precisely design the space and install hardware that maximises availability and ease of use of chargers for all types of vehicles and drivers. Our largest site yet, it is a significant milestone for the Osprey team as we work tirelessly to ensure that our nationwide infrastructure deployment of rapid EV charging stations continues at an unprecedented pace.”
Osprey installed as many chargers in the first quarter of this year as it did during the whole of 2022. From January to March this year, 142 new rapid Osprey EV charging stations went live in 10 weeks, equalling the number of charge points installed throughout 2022.
Ian Johnston recently spoke to Transport + Energy about the company’s plans for this year and beyond and will speak at the annual Transport + Energy Forum which is taking place on 16th November in Birmingham.
Images courtesy of Osprey.