Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Infrastructure and TechnologyLatestNews

Shapps welcomes ‘vitally important’ Osprey chargers

Energy and security secretary Grant Shapps has welcomed the newly expanded Osprey charging hub in his constituency.

As Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield, Shapps visited the site with Osprey’s CEO Ian Johnston, discussing the capabilities of the eight newly installed 300kW ultra-rapid EV chargers, which adhere to new government regulations that all rapid chargers must accept bank cards.

The new rapid charge points are also compatible with every EV current on the market and can add 100 miles of range in 10 minutes, depending on the vehicle. Load-balancing technology maximises the efficiency of the hub, the firm said, distributing power between each charge point in response to car demand in real time, getting drivers charged and back on the road quicker.

Situated next to Marston’s The Bakehouse pub and restaurant and an Aldi supermarket, the chargers are easy to use and designed with simple payment for drivers, accepting contactless bank cards, Apple/Google Pay, the Osprey App and RFID card payments as well as payments through all major third-party payment methods including fleet cards.

Grant Shapps, Welwyn Hatfield MP and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: “Fast, reliable and easy-to-use public EV charging locations such as this hub are vitally important to hitting our net-zero targets.

“They help improve confidence in the national infrastructure and practically support the uptake of electric vehicles at the local level too.”

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “A crucial element of our strategy at Osprey is to understand the requirements of our customers and adapt the network to meet growing customer demand, installing more chargers in locations across Great Britain and upgrading existing locations.

“The Bakehouse is one of our most popular sites to date and the latest in our roll out of 150 high-power hubs, that includes upgrading existing in-demand locations such as this.”

“Our long-term partnership with Marston’s has been hugely successful in bringing safe, accessible and convenient EV charging to regions across the UK. By partnering with businesses like Marston’s, we are able to invest in building charging sites that EV drivers want to return to. We are continuously expanding our portfolio through these partnerships, and wherever possible, growing our existing sites to keep up with the speed of EV uptake throughout the UK.”

Image from Osprey

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