Work starts on the UK’s largest public electric vehicle charging hub at Redbridge Park & Ride

The Oxford Superhub will have 38 fast and ultra-rapid chargers and is expected to open to the public in spring 2022.

There will be 10 Fastned chargers with up to 300kW of power, capable of adding up to 300 miles of range in just 20 minutes for hundreds of electric vehicles per day.

As demand grows, Fastned add at least a further four.

Sixteen Gamma Energy chargers with between 7-22kW of power will be available and twelve 250kW Tesla Superchargers.

The Superhub will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, partly generated by a solar roof, and all makes and models of EVs will be able to charge at the highest rates possible simultaneously.

Chargers will be open 24/7 with contactless payment or through an app.

An on-site café is also being planned.

The superhub, which is being developed by Pivot Power, an offshoot of EDF Renewables, and Oxford City Council, is a milestone in the progress of Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO), a £41 million project helping to create the low carbon infrastructure Oxford needs to achieve net zero.

Pivot Power’s EV charging network will provide 10MW of power on site – enough to meet the growing need for EV charging in the area for the next 30 years, the council said.

Unlike any other UK charging hub, the Oxford Superhub will be directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network.

This means it can provide the power to charge large numbers of EVs quickly, without putting strain on the local electricity network.

It will share this connection with a 50MW hybrid battery – the largest ever deployed – which will combine lithium-ion and vanadium flow technology to enable more renewable power on to the grid.

The network also has capacity to expand to other locations throughout Oxford to meet mass EV charging needs, from buses and taxis to commercial fleets.

The Oxford Superhub is one of up to 40 similar sites planned by Pivot Power across the UK to help deliver infrastructure for the estimated 36 million electric vehicles estimated to be in use by 2040.

During the works, some minor disruption is expected around the terminal but there will be no impact on parking, the Park & Ride buses, or the terminal building.

A small number of trees, which will need to be removed in order to lay the cabling, will be replaced.

Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) is a pioneering project, led by Pivot Power, which integrates rapid EV charging, hybrid battery storage, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies to help Oxford to be zero carbon by 2040 or earlier.

The project is part-funded by Government and is being delivered by a consortium comprising Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, Oxford City Council, University of Oxford, Habitat Energy, Kensa Contracting and Invinity Energy Systems.

According to the council, ESO will save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year once fully operational - equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road – increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.

Councillor Tom Hayes, deputy leader of Oxford City Council and cabinet member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford, said: “This is an exciting next step in the Energy Superhub Oxford project, and I am delighted that work has now started at Redbridge Park & Ride to install the UK’s largest public electric vehicle hub.

"Providing electric vehicle charging infrastructure is crucial to help us achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040 and to support the uptake of electric vehicles.”

Tim Rose, programme manager for Energy Superhub Oxford at Pivot Power, said: “Energy Superhub Oxford is creating the power infrastructure needed to supercharge electric vehicle uptake across Oxford and meet the demand for fast, easy and reliable charging for decades to come.

"Pivot Power is proud to be delivering this visionary project in partnership with Oxford City Council, to accelerate net zero and create a blueprint for cleaner, greener cities across the UK and beyond.”