Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hub has officially opened in Oxford, with one leading councillor calling it a “game changer” for motorists.

Oxford City Council, along with Pivot Power, Fastned, Tesla Superchargers and Wenea, opened the charging hub which is considered the largest in Europe.

The site will initially offer fast and ultra-rapid charging for 42 vehicles at once.

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Oxford Mail: The charging hub is the largest in Europe. Picture: Oxford City CouncilThe charging hub is the largest in Europe. Picture: Oxford City Council (Image: Oxford City Council)

Located at Redbridge Park and Ride, the charging hub’s overall capacity could eventually see 400 being charged at the same time, the plan being to support the estimated 36 million electric vehicles expected on UK roads by 2040.

The project is part of a nationwide network of Energy Superhubs developed by Pivot Power, which uses renewable energy to power electric vehicles.

For its role in the project, Oxford City Council was awarded £1,615,169 from the Government’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

This was part of a successful £10.26 million bid for the Oxford element of the overall £41 million project.

The rest of the funding coming from the other partners involved in the multi-million pound project.

Oxford Mail: There is enough capacity to eventually charge 400 cars at once. Picture: Oxford City Council/YouTubeThere is enough capacity to eventually charge 400 cars at once. Picture: Oxford City Council/YouTube

Drivers will only be charged a parking fee at the parka and ride if they stay for more than one hour.

The current charges at the hub are:

  • Fastned: 54p/kWh for pay-as-you go charging, which can be accessed via contactless bank card, ApplePay/AndroidPay, RFID charge card from roaming partners, Fastned App, or Autocharge. Customers can pay £9.99 per month to access charging at 35p/kWh.
  • Tesla: £0.49/kWh.
  • Wenea: 46p/kWh. Clients can pay via contactless debit/credit card and Wenea App.

Oxford Mail: The charging hub is part of a £41 million project. Picture: Oxford City Council/YouTubeThe charging hub is part of a £41 million project. Picture: Oxford City Council/YouTube

Oxford City Council councillor Imogen Thomas, cabinet member for zero carbon Oxford and climate justice, said: “Oxford has a history of being ambitious as we look to adopt new and exciting transport approaches in our city.

“Redbridge was the location of the country’s first full running Park & Ride in 1973, and now almost 50 years later, we are home to Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging hub.

“In order to achieve a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040 we need to encourage uptake in electric vehicles, and drivers want to know that they can charge their vehicles quickly and efficiently.

“The completion of Energy Superhub Oxford is an exciting step for our city and the future of EV charging.”

Councillor Emily Kerr, who represents St Mary’s and is Green Group’s transport spokesperson, said the charging hub is “great news” and a “game changer” for decarbonising Oxford.

The Green councillor explained the hub will be useful for electric taxis and delivery vehicles in the city as well as people who own, or carshare, electric vehicles.

She said: “For those of us who use electric vehicles, they are so great to drive but hard to charge.

“The new hub is so fast and there are so many spaces. It think it is really going to drive uptake of electric vehicles which will help us get to the goals of decarbonisation.”

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This story was written by Sophie Perry. She joined the team in 2021 as a digital reporter.

You can get in touch with her by emailing: sophie.perry@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @itssophieperry

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