Britons have grown accustomed to paying hidden and unpaid fees before they fly from airports. But, for owners of electric cars, a Gatwick trip will soon be a welcome surprise.
Gatwick will be the first international airport to open an electric vehicle charging station. This has been confirmed and is expected to open in autumn 2018.
This will be on Gatwick’s South Terminal Ring Road South.
It makes perfect sense to add an extra charge for a flight. The new Gatwick Electric Forecourt is a charging station that will be available for electric cars. It’s expected to open in autumn 2022.
The news has been confirmed on Thursday by Gridserve, which operates the nation’s Electric Highway network of charging locations and devices across motorways and other major routes.
Gatwick Airport and the development are partnering to build the project. The site is called the Gatwick Electric Forecourt.
Many charging ports will be available to charge all kinds of electric cars. The most powerful is the 350kW device.
To use charge points, drivers can contactless pay with their driver.
Like other Gridserve locations – including the first dedicated electric charging forecourt in Braintree, Essex opened a year ago – it will feature a café, airport-style lounge with free superfast WiFi, supermarket, children’s play area and dedicated EV educational zone.
Gridserve’s solar farms will provide ‘low-cost, 100% renewable, net zero carbon’ energy to the site.
Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve and who is named after Toddington Services, said this morning: ‘Gatwick isn’t just an airport, it’s an ecosystem of commuters, travellers, staff, taxi drivers, car rental companies, local residents and businesses, all culminating in a transport hub that hosts tens of millions of drivers every single year.
‘The Gatwick Electric Forecourt will give these drivers and businesses the confidence to switch away from petrol and diesel cars, making electric journeys to and from one of the country’s most important transport hubs straightforward and sustainable.’
This new location will allow 36 EVs simultaneously to be charged using high-speed devices that can add 100 miles of range in a matter of 10 minutes.
Gatwick Electric Forecourt is the first dedicated site for EV charging at international airports around the globe
It will be adjacent to the M23 and on the Ring Road South.
The Electric Forecourt is said to play a pivotal role in Gatwick Airport’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions for its internal operations before 2040 and its broader aspirations to become the UK’s most sustainable airport, including through involvement in UK industry plans to reach net zero aircraft emissions by 2050.
Jonathan Pollard is Gatwick Airport’s chief commercial officer. He said: “We are on an adventure to build a low-carbon economy. Gatwick wants to play an important part by creating new infrastructure for everyone to use so we can all reduce our dependency on fossil fuels.
‘Our new high-powered charging facility – delivered by Gridserve – will help meet the increasing need for electric vehicle charging infrastructure at the airport, including the growing number of our passengers who own electric vehicles and need fast, convenient and effective charging facilities.
‘The new charging infrastructure will also benefit people right across our community, including thousands of staff who live locally, businesses looking to introduce electric vehicle fleets – even those operating busses and trucks – and also local residents who may be considering buying an electric-powered car but were undecided due to the lack of charging facilities.’
Like other Gridserve locations it will feature a café, airport-style lounge with free superfast WiFi, supermarket, children’s play area and dedicated EV educational zone
The Electric Forecourt is said to play a pivotal role in Gatwick Airport’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions for its internal operations before 2040
Gridserve has announced the opening of Gatwick’s new charging station as part of its ongoing efforts to boost the country’s EV charging infrastructure.
The completion of the Norwich Electric Forecourt is now complete, and it will open in April 2022.
The company also says it is underway with its wide-scale upgrade of the Electric Highway motorway charging network.
More than 20 electric hubs – each featuring between six and 12 350kW ultra high-power chargers – will open at service stations across the UK by the second quarter of 2022, with the majority planned to be installed by the end of March.
Gridserve reports that there will be 50 more Electric Hub sites.