Oxford part of UK’s largest electric vehicle charging hub

Oxford City Council and Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewables, have joined up with Fastned, Tesla Superchargers and Wenea to deliver Europe’s most powerful EV charging hub in Oxford.

The Oxford Superhub, which will be located at Redbridge Park & Ride, will see the installation of 38 fast and ultra-rapid chargers – making it the UK’s largest electric vehicle charging hub. It is the first of up to 40 similar sites planned by Pivot Power across the UK to help deliver charging infrastructure for the estimated 36 million electric vehicles by 2040.

The site, which is expected to open to the public later in 2021, will see up to 10MW of power on site – enough to meet the growing need for EV charging in the area for the next 30 years. The station will be powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, partly generated by Fastned’s trademark solar roof, and all makes and models of EVs will be able to charge at the highest rates possible simultaneously.

The £41 million Energy Superhub Oxford project integrates EV charging, battery storage, low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies to support Oxford to be zero carbon by 2040 or earlier. The Energy Superhub Oxford will save 10,000 tonnes of CO2 a year once opened later in 2021, equivalent to taking over 2,000 cars off the road, increasing to 25,000 tonnes by 2032.

With Oxford set to introduce the UK’s first Zero Emission Zone in August 2021, ESO will support the city’s aims to reduce toxic air pollution levels, tackle the climate emergency, and improve the health of residents, workers and visitors in Oxford and beyond.

Tom Hayes, cabinet member for Green Transport and Zero Carbon Oxford at Oxford City Council, said: "For Oxford to go zero carbon by 2040, we need to electrify a lot more of our transportation. As an innovative city embracing technologies and change, Oxford is the natural home for the UK's largest public EV charging hub. We are excited to be taking a major step forward in the completion of Energy Superhub Oxford, working closely and superbly with our private sector partners. As an ambitious city, we are excited about the prospect of further innovation and investments, building upon our record of transformational public and private sector delivery."