A public electric vehicle charging hub said to be the largest in the UK is being deployed at Redbridge Park & Ride near Oxford ahead of its opening in spring 2022.

The Oxford Superhub at Redbridge Park & Ride is expected to open to the public in spring 2022

First announced three years ago, the hub will have up to 10MW of power on site, initially powering 38 fast and ultra-rapid chargers. These will include 10 Fastned 300kW chargers, 12 Tesla 250kW Superchargers and 16 Gamma Energy 7-22kW charge points. These will increase further as demand grows.

Chargers will be open 24/7 and payment can be taken via contactless methods as well as through apps. An on-site café is also being planned.

Opening next year around the same time as Oxford’s Zero Emission Zone goes live, the Oxford Superhub is being developed by Pivot Power and Oxford City Council as part of the Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO), combining grid-scale batteries with high-volume power infrastructure for EV charging, along with low carbon heating and smart energy management technologies, to deliver more efficient, cheaper and greener energy solutions.

Unlike other UK charging hubs, the Oxford Superhub will directly connect to National Grid’s transmission network, ensuring it can charge large numbers of EVs quickly, without putting strain on the local electricity network.

It will share this connection with a 50MW hybrid battery – said to be the largest ever deployed – which will combine lithium-ion and vanadium flow technology to enable more renewable power onto the grid. And the network can expand further in the future.

It’s a model that’s being replicated by Pivot Power across the UK, including at its new Kemley site in Kent; in total Pivot Power is planning around 40 similar sites in the UK to help deliver charging infrastructure for the estimated 36 million EVs by 2040.

Tim Rose, programme manager for Energy Superhub Oxford at Pivot Power, said: “Energy Superhub Oxford is creating the power infrastructure needed to supercharge electric vehicle uptake across Oxford and meet the demand for fast, easy and reliable charging for decades to come. Pivot Power is proud to be delivering this visionary project in partnership with Oxford City Council, to accelerate net zero and create a blueprint for cleaner, greener cities across the UK and beyond.”