10 October 2022
Energy Superhub Oxford scooped the prize for Charging Destination of the Year at the EVIES, a prestigious industry award celebrating innovation and excellence in the electric vehicle industry.
Held in London on the 5th October and hosted by Paul Sinha, the awards come at an exciting time for transport decarbonisation, with over one million EVs now registered on UK roads.
Getting the right charging infrastructure in place is vital to enable more people to make the switch to an EV, and the Oxford superhub is a true example of collaborative innovation. The projects was led by Oxford City Council and EDF Renewables with many other stakeholders involved in every stage of its development.
The charging hub, which opened in July, offers fast to ultra-rapid charging for 42 vehicles at once, all powered entirely by renewable energy. It brings together three different chargepoint operators at one location, and has been designed to cater for all needs, so that drivers can charge and be on their way in minutes, or while they visit the city centre and go about their day. Drivers can choose from:
Unlike any other UK charging hub, the site is directly connected to National Grid’s high voltage transmission network at Cowley substation via a four-mile underground cable. This means the site has 10 MW of installed capacity on site, and can scale up with EV adoption to provide charging for 400 vehicles,[1] without putting additional strain on the local electricity network or requiring costly upgrades.
Commenting on the win, Tim Rose, Programme Manager for Energy Superhub Oxford at EDF Renewables said: “To tackle the climate emergency and achieve net zero we urgently need to transition to cleaner modes of transport. Electric vehicles are part of the solution, but drivers need confidence that they’ll be able to charge quickly and conveniently, whatever their circumstances. The Oxford superhub is pioneering a new model for EV charging that can meet demand today and in the future. We’re delighted for everyone involved that it has been recognised with this fantastic award.”
At the opening of the charging hub, Councillor Imogen Thomas, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford and Climate Justice, Oxford City Council 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.”
[1] Assumes 350 cars charging at 7kW and 50 cars charging at 150kW.