Ediston to roll out rapid EV charging across UK retail estates

The partnership will see charging points installed for visitors to retail brands including Aldi

Osprey Charging will install rapid EV charging points across Ediston’s sites in the UK. An initial 10 sites have been chosen to host up to six 150kW chargers, which are capable of charging up to 100 miles in around 10 minutes, according to Osprey Charging.

The first site is located at Haddington Retail Park, East Lothian, currently under construction. Further sites are expected to go into construction throughout 2022, and further charging locations added to the partnership, in line with Ediston’s expected acquisition of retail parks.

The partnership will see charging points installed for visitors to retail brands including Aldi, The Food Warehouse and Costa. Osprey will cover the costs of installation and servicing of the charging points.

Ediston’s head of retail warehouse asset management Graham Lind said: “With EV registrations increasing year on year, we’re fast approaching a new era of electric transport. Onsite EV charging at retail parks will soon become an essential offering and customers will expect to be able to charge their vehicles wherever they shop and our tenants will expect us to provide the infrastructure which enables them to do so.

“Osprey has a proven record in delivering reliable, easy to use and rapid chargers and provide the perfect solution to attract the rapidly growing number of EV driving customers to our sites. ”

In December, Costa Coffee confirmed that it had supported the addition of four ultra-rapid, innovative EV chargers at its new store off the A463 in Wolverhampton. The chargers were supplied by Osprey Charging and use rapid charging to add up to 100 miles of charge for a car within 10 minutes. Smart technologies enable optimized charging across multiple vehicles.

Osprey Charging claims another benefit of its technology is its size. Each charger is 74% smaller than some other models, meaning organisations hosting chargers can install more. The firm is notably aiming to install 1,500 charging points at least 150 sites within four years.

The UK’s 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel car sales is not yet being supported by adequate plans for improving access to electric vehicle (EV) charging or for improving electricity networks, MPs have warned.

Amid growing calls for the Government to announce better plans to support the 2030 ban, designed in line with the UK’s legally binding net-zero target for 2050, a fresh warning has been issued in a report from the Transport Select Committee.

According to the report, current plans will not deliver the level of charging infrastructure needed to support the level of EV adoption needed for the UK to meet its climate targets. Moreover, infrastructure would not be fairly distributed across all regions of the UK and be affordable and accessible.

Matt Mace