The Energy Superhub Oxford project, initiated by the city government, should see the light of day by the end of this year and be fully operational by 2023. The hub includes 38 fast charging stations for electric vehicles (Tesla, Fastent, Venia) and a large storage battery.
EDF Renewables subsidiary UK Start-up Pivot, which specializes in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, is responsible for supplying 10 MW of renewable energy to the station. The plan is to help Oxford City carbon neutralize by 2040.
“If Oxford is to be carbon-free by 2040, we need to electrify more of our transportation,” said Tom Hayes, a cabinet member at Oxford City Council on Zero Carbon Oxford. “As a city innovative and open to technology and change, Oxford is the natural place to set up the largest public electric vehicle charging station in the UK.”
‘Big stations are the only way’
The Oxford Energy Superhub, part of Redbridge Park and Rides, will initially have 38 charging stations: 12 Tesla Supercharging Stations, 14 Fast Supercharging Stations and 12 stations operated by the Spanish operator Venia.
Unlike other stations in the UK, the site will be directly connected to the national high voltage grid. Over time, this should make it possible to charge hundreds of vehicles simultaneously, without putting pressure on the local network.
‘Our mission is to accelerate the transition to electric mobility by giving freedom to electric drivers,’ says Michael Langes, CEO of Fastnet. “Energy Superhub Oxford is a great effort to help us achieve this goal. (1) Larger stations are the only way to provide the ability to charge the fastest growing electric vehicles on our roads.”
“Our goal is to help the UK accelerate the transition to a carbon – free future by providing electricity wherever it is needed to support the electric vehicle and the clean energy revolution,” said Matt Allen, CEO of Pivot Power, Oxford’s ‘Top 40 Locations We’ll Build in the UK’.
