UK opens first dedicated forecourt for charging electric cars

At least another 100 all-electric charging stations to open in next 5 years

Vehicles are pictured at the new Gridserve all-electric forecourt in Braintree, Essex. (PA)

The UK’s first station solely for electric cars has opened, ahead of a larger rollout of green energy infrastructure over the next five years.

The site, which has 36 charging points, opened in Braintree, Essex, on Monday.

Gridserve, the company which built the forecourt, intends to open at least another 100 all-electric stations in the next five years as part of a £1 billion project.

The chargers are carbon neutral as all the energy comes from solar power, according to the start-up.

The forecourt in Braintree also has shops and facilities including meeting pods and electricity-generating exercise bikes for those waiting for their vehicles to charge.

Toddington Harper, the founder and CEO of Gridserve, suggested the initiative will help “move the needle on climate change” by “updating the traditional petrol station model for a net-zero carbon world”.  

James Cleverly, the cabinet minister who is MP for Braintree, praised the opening of the all-electric forecourt, claiming it is “the most advanced charging facility in the world”.

The launch of the site comes a month after the prime minister pledged to ban sales of new diesel and petrol vehicles by 2030, a decade earlier than initially planned.

The government also plans to reduce carbon emissions by 68 per cent by 2030 with the aim of reaching net zero by 2050.

Although this move has been welcomed by campaigners, some have called on the government to be more ambitious.

Last week, John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said Boris Johnson was doing the right thing by setting out “one of the most ambitious climate targets in the world”.

"But given the urgency of the climate crisis and the rapid advances in zero carbon solutions, ambition can be pushed even higher over the next decade,” he added.

Mr Sauven also said action was now needed on “homes, roads, farms and power sources” to help the UK reach its environmental target.

Additional reporting by PA