This was desperately needed in the Norwich area. Congratulations to Gridserve. We just need another 98 around the country. :)

@PeterChinkin

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure it really was that desperate. There were already more than a dozen rapid chargers in the city before they opened the Ionity site at Thickthorn.

@SirHackaL0t.

2 жыл бұрын

@@PeterChinkin ah, it’s been a couple of years since I was last in norwich. It seems they have been busy putting in more chargers. Are many of they others charging hubs?

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

And we'll get them. It just might take another 5 years or so.....

just need to get things like this in the north now

Gridserve seem to be doing a fantastic job, all of the ecotricity chargers have now been replaced which is great news, I will be trying them out on a trip from the midlands up to Scotland this weekend

A great review James. It will be great when gridserve are nationwide. Well done.

Immediate thumb up - well done Gridserve (keep it going) and well done James

Hope to see more of these super-stations being built around the UK soon, with their own solar/wind power generation nearby.

A great video of what is clearly the future of public EV charging. I was delighted when Gridserve announced their plans for the hubs and I think they are to be applauded for their forward thinking and genuine commitment to build 100 of these incredible new EV charging hubs. I know they are first and foremost a way to rapid charge all types of EV's ....... but I think the design of the building is simply stunning! I will stick my neck out and say these hubs are going to be recognised as iconic structures in their own right in years to come.

Brilliant 👏 the future 👏 👍 thank you for walking around looking forward to visiting a renewbile fuel station ⛽ 🚉 with our EV 😀. I used to draw renewbile fuel stations made from local materials vernacular architecture 💚🌍😁🌈

Great, love the layout. Here in N Québec the numbers of EV's are skyrocketing, although the main charging company Circuit Electric have over the years been keeping ahead of the curve, they now need to think bigger. I feel Gridserve's example could be a future answer ! Thank you James.

Thanks James for the video and well done Gridserve.

Glad you actually showed the disabled bays, Well done.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

It must surely only be a matter of time before legislation decrees that provision be made for disabled EV drivers......

@wheelz9417

2 жыл бұрын

@@Brian-om2hh It has to happen. Sooner the better really. 2030 is not that far away.

Great tour James 👍 amazing place! That RBW Roadster! Wow what a beauty ⚡🚗⚡

Good to see the accessible bays are large and clearly marked

@jonathantaylor1998

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed... In fact, the red Mini Electric James' MG5 was parked next to is run by a wheelchair user, who has also uploaded a You Tube video about this Gridserve Norwich launch - he deliberately chose to park in a 'regular' bay and found that he still had enough room to maneuver his chair around his EV, his argument being that ALL charging bays should be designed to be accessible, which in this case, they are. 👍

Looks fab! A few further north would be most welcome. 😄

@Brian-om2hh

Жыл бұрын

They'll come in time. Things will look way better in another 3+ years..... All in all, we're basically just 10 years in. I can't imagine there were too many petrol stations after just 10 years of the motor car being around...... Everything's gotta start somewhere!

Nice vid lovely pictures well done your other half is a great mechanic.👍👍👍

Fantastic indeed, sorry I missed you live, I was cooking my lunchtime dinner. How great to see another major Gridserve hub up and running. It tickled me when you first showed the old MG and then said in the next second about your 'MG' without batting an eyelid. Then you got confused when someone commented on the MG you'd just showed us had been electrified, wasn't it beautiful? I wonder how much it was to convert and I wonder what it's like to drive? Thanks for showing us James, cheers. 👍 Oh yes and how pleasing to see accessible bays. I saw the disabled parking space and wondered why no charger, then there they were around the corner! I wonder if two will be sufficient in the end.

@BRxRanger

2 жыл бұрын

the little MG bgt is a brand new build, there is a company with the original stamps, I think Jonny has a video, I've watched a video on it for sure. super big money but so nice.

@judebrown4103

2 жыл бұрын

@@BRxRanger oh really? Somehow I've missed Jonny's video, though I do have a vague recollection of it popping up at some point, now you mention it. Often I have to wait to watch longer videos and I'm subbed to so many ev channels that things get pushed out of mind. I'll go check it out, cheers. 👍

Awesome video thanks for showing 👍

This is next level for sure James. Scotlands hubs are great but lack facilities. Great video 👍

Hi James another Garth and informative video , I think the MG is a new ground up EV I’m sure there’s a company replicating these as EV’s the reg was 70 which makes me think it’s new. Regards Bob

@MikeDWinter

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, it looks very much like the RBW Roadster. Starts at £90k+tax…

Thanks for sharing

Thanks it look amazing 👏

Great Looking place...all the tech😄

Hi guys got some Excellent news regarding Leicester!!!! we have a 1st multi rapid charging station on the way from leicester forest east and earl shilton along the Hinkley road on the junction with leicester lane/desford road there is a brand new ESSO with SIX rapid charging stations units might be five as I couldn't stop as I was working in the van, but its epic news for the area! Well done ESSO!!! Cheers

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

I have seen it actually. They were still covered the other say but it’s great news 👍🏻

thanks for the video

That's good to see. At last people are considering disabled drivers. Thanks James must plan a day out to see this for myself. Is it true its always sunny there?

Yes! I live in Norwich.

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome

Really great to see 😄

Eventually, it would be nice to see wait/queueing systems in place at these charging stations, maybe linked to an app that tells you when you car is nearly charged (and needs to be moved), or when the next charging stall is free. When cars overstay their charge time, fees could also be automatically applied.

@monk3yboy69

2 ай бұрын

Been using this site for ages now and never encountered any such problems. Your app on your phone will tell you when you are charged anyways. But I find the kind of people using Gridserve seem to be a decent sort who do give a shit about other people. Unlike places like Cambridge services or even South Mimms. Perhaps folks in Norfolk just have better breeding all round. Who knows .

Enjoyed your video…

Need one of these in the south west

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

It's almost sure to happen, with the South West being a well used holiday destination. You can be certain Gridserve will have spotted the potential.....

Personally, Grid serve should commended for their second Electric charging station. Now Grid serve get us one in Leicester PLEASSSSE :). Cheers

would love to see something like this in northern Ireland

Good to see you today chap

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

And you. Thanks for the mic 🎤

Sound is fine .

Nio will have to go it alone with battery swapping, I think. I suppose Tesla superchargers aren’t under cover because owners will be staying in their car playing games! Gridserve are doing such a good job. Thanks for showing it to us.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

The more infrastructure increases, along with faster charging times, the more battery swapping becomes pointless. What happens to your 8 year battery warranty if you have it swapped out? How could you be sure you wouldn't get palmed off with one that had been abused?

@richardgoldsmith7278

2 жыл бұрын

@@Brian-om2hh Tesla had designed a great way to compensate for those anomalies when they proposed their battery swap solution : they would hold your original pack for up to 3 months after you swapped yours for another en-route. They would use BMS data to determine the difference in capacity/life between the packs and if you did not return to the first swap station to get your own pack back they would invoice for the difference if you had benefited by not swapping back. You would pay for the service at a much higher rate than taking 20 mins at a supercharger to be on your way in 2 minutes. I think they technically and fiscally cracked it, personally, but I would always wait and charge rather than pay extra to move on, and so did the Tesla owner community at the time apparently, so much so that the service was shelved permanently. If that service was not viable and Bettaplace went bust trying in Israel which was a suitably geographically constrained operational area, then I fear for Nio and I feel they are flogging a dead horse. Time will tell.

@Brian-om2hh

Жыл бұрын

My biggest concern - speaking purely personally - is what happens to your 8 year battery warranty if you get it swapped out? And how could you be sure you didn't get an abused one in return?

Wish we get this kind of infrastructure in Australia

@CharlesGregory

2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't that be awesome! I can see somewhere between Sydney and Goulburn being the first area for this kind of thing.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

You'd need a new Government first....... Those silly sods are too busy burying their heads in the sand to notice what's going on around them. And once the sh*t hits the fan, they'll launch an enquiry to discover how it all happened ( or more to the point, why it *didn't* happen)

Did THarper mention any of these hubs being built in Scotland? At our nearby M90 Kinross Moto services that I’m sure your familiar with , as well as the P&R hub, Gridserve have swapped out the old Ecotricity unit for a new 150kwh Gridserve unit but he did say last year on the purchase of Ecotricity Ekectric Highthat he would be swapping out those single Services units for a bank of 6 units with dual DC charging capabilities. Just wondering if it’s still happening and in Scotland?

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

He didn't mention much about upcoming hubs, apart from there are plenty. I'm think Gatwick is next.

@Brian-om2hh

Жыл бұрын

There's a Gridserve charger at John O Groats Glen!

Looks like ev heaven

Looks impressive pity I’m still a few years away from an EV myself

any idea if any of these are coming near Stafford at all.Stafford is seriously lacking in chargers

One in Monmouth Ross On Wye and Newtown would be nice but im only Dreaming

Europe and Germany in particular have been to slow to transition to wind and solar energy and all electric vehicles. Wind and solar energy do not need to be imported and can be produced locally in any country. Europe needs to provide incentives for homes and businesses to install electric heat pumps and get rid of old polluting gas and oil boilers. The move to electric vehicles will also be sped up. There is no good reason to help fund Putin's war by buying oil, gas and coal from Russia.

One or two in Northern Ireland would be game changer

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

E mail Gridserve and suggest it for consideration Nigel......

When it’s full do you just drive round and round and round, and fight for a slot when it looks like they are going?

🔌Trucks chargers are coming in at dual 350KW and a local small cab 40-Ton EV truck mfg in the USA is designing around 1.5MW chargers.🔌

with the amount of wind, may be a wind turbine may be good for there. I would love to know when you are going to start on Gateshead location, they have had the planning permission since last year but nothing has happened.

Is there any chargers that are accessible by vehicles towing a caravan/trailer ? Doesn’t look there is to me, I think this will be an issue going forward as more EV’s are capable of towing and sales of ICE cars drop off.

Great to see but what’s the pricing please?

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

45p per kwh.....

@monk3yboy69

2 ай бұрын

It’s now 89p kWh

Dammit, missed the live stream… Does it have a toilet that’s open 24 hrs?

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Open until 9pm then it closes. The charging is 24/7 however.

@SirHackaL0t.

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate I gave feedback about Braintree that people will need to use a toilet when they charge, even at night. I’d hoped that they would have added the facility at the new one.

Are gridserve revealing upcoming locations and timescales yet by any chance 🤔

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

No timescales, but Covid did stick a big spanner in the works. I think Gatwick and the Wirral are next in line.

@richardgoldsmith7278

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate I will definitely be visiting the one in the Wirral when it opens as I have friends In Wallasey who are overdue on my visiting list

@peteglass3496

2 жыл бұрын

There's plenty of public information. They have planning applications for Uckfield, Gateshead, Plymouth and Stevenage in addition to Gatwick, with 30 more plans in preparation. The Wirral one [location CH62 3PE] mentioned wasn't in the news release so perhaps it's still stuck in planning but the details are on the Gridserve website.

@robinbryon1851

2 жыл бұрын

@@peteglass3496 thanks, I will check it out. 😀

They’re missing a trick, over the Tesla chargers they should put a car port with more solar on the roof

James, I'm wanting to buy a fully electric car, but the cost to publicly charge or home charge is just as cost effective as my 70mpg petrol Mazda 2.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

Home charging on a specific EV tariff would see your per mile costs drop to around 2.5p per mile. Your Mazda at 70mpg, probably equates to something like 13p to15p per mile. Although that's a rough-ish guess...... Plus with electric, you don't have to *drive* to a filling station.... Servicing is heaps cheaper too.. Chances are you'll use more costly public charging no more than around 6 times a year. You'll charge at home 95% of the time....like most EV owners do. And if you have a Sainsburys or Tesco near you, it may be possible to grab a free top up charge there too.

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

As mentioned you need an EV tariff. Charging out an about is very sporadic so I don’t think about the cost tbh. For me it’s not about money, it’s about emissions. We really need to do as much as we can to lower what we burn.

Does anyone know if you can now charge 2 cars on the grideserve units?

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Some but not all. They’re rolling out dual charging slowly

@damo_c

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate I really hope they're rolling it out to the sites with only 1 or 2 chargers first. Not managed to get on a charger at reading for 4 separate trips both ways

Ioniq 5 at the end :)

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Saw a few

When you see that Rugby has become a victim of its own success (go there late afternoon and it’s full) the need for these places is ever more pressing. Went to Norwich the other week and charging was limited. Now looking forward to going there with this place open having used Braintree too.

@colinnich

2 жыл бұрын

I know I always aim for Rugby - not only are there loads of chargers, but it's a fantastic services anyway

@PeterChinkin

2 жыл бұрын

I'm not sure what you mean by charging in Norwich being 'limited'. There's loads of chargers which are mostly unused.

@colin7898

2 жыл бұрын

@@PeterChinkin must have been a bad couple of days when I was there but I struggled to find usable rapid chargers on the way to Norwich (A11) and around Norwich.

Charging station! Fuel is for icehole 🤫

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Gets people to look, though

What’s the cost of charging an electric car please?

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

45p p/kWh

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate Or 7.5p per kwh if you have an appropriate home EV tariff.....

It's encouraging, but how realistic is it for these to scale out to projected EV volumes. Also, ppl leaving cars whilst having a meal isn't going to help lol

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

There's no meals to be eaten here, just shopping, WC, coffee and WiFi. These will quite easily match the scaled volumes, as 60% of the population will hardly use them.

@stuartburns8657

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate Lets hope so 👍 Bright future if even sheltered charging stations are introduced with capacity close to that.

Are the toilets open 24/7?

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Until 9pm

Random thoughts for the algorithms: Most Kiwis wouldn't know things like this exist. Your average Kiwi has zero clue there is a electric transition happening all around the world. 🤦‍♂️Also James do you have customers with custom built or converted ev's? I'm guessing there are ever more those on the road too.

@avatr7109

2 жыл бұрын

IMPOSSIBLE!... I know NZ guys are way far , but that doesn't mean we have left them alone, or they're are disconnected NZ has better planned cities Less population so it would be Easy transition...Also there's Tesla in NZ and many Charging stations Here In India we're busy in religion, they do know we need transition but the Government Flips it over And Now some Minister is hyping up about Hydrogen cars, Some other Party is doing religion politics.... Its densely Fvked here Its impossible.

Special fobs

Max charging need to be nax 10 min,go take a cofe go back and is done 🎉

Are you doing a look at the inside? Really good though. I hope these are not just going to be built in the south. One hundred of these is very ambitious, and I don't want to hear that there will be nothing in the North and Scotland until 2030+, while the South has 60 by then!

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Sorry, it was rammed and it just wouldn’t have worked. Not only that, the signal disappeared too ☹️

@peteglass3496

2 жыл бұрын

Gateshead is on the list of four or five already with planning permission.

Always funny to see how many teslas insist on ignoring the superchargers and use the generic chargers instead!

2 is better than none, 20 would be better, 200 are needed though

But no trailer places!

I have a Renault Zoe with the ccs 50kW battery option. If when using the new Gridserve’s service stations I happen to plug into 350Kw charger, because none of the lesser chargers are available at that moment in time, what is the protocol for when one of ‘Harry Enfields’ “loads of money” friends turns up in a high end car expecting to charge at the fastest rate of 350kW but see my little Renault Zoe occupying their bay. Will I be in for a load of abuse?

@CharlesGregory

2 жыл бұрын

I'm just a random guy and obviously I can speak for Gridserve/Enfield in particular, but generally the etiquette is that there would be absolutely no expectation for you to move. In fact with multi-stall charging sites in general, usually the capacity of the site is built with the expectation that not all ultra-rapid chargers will be using anywhere near their maximum capacity at any one time, so what you're doing would be generally within the standard usage of the site. The only thing I would suggest is that it would be preferable for a CCS car to take a CCS only charger, instead of a CCS/Chademo charger, so that it avoids the likelihood of a Chademo car turning up and none of the few Chademo stalls being unavailable.

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely not. The only problem I foresee is if you were sat at 96% drawing very little and there was a queue. If someone’s waiting I’m outta there as soon as I can be.

Looks fantastic unless you have a trailer attached.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

The vast majority of people don't tow anything. Gridserve are, like most retailers, catering for the majority...... Having a trailer doesn't mean you can't use a place like this. You just have to unhitch first.......

Why are you walking all over the garden area?

As that appears to be a service area for EV alone I can't see the sustainabilty of the services provided being profitable, I can't see it being that full from what I have seen of other places . I regularly used to deliver next to a Teslar charge area in London that never seemed to have more than 2 cars charging at any one time.

@judebrown4103

2 жыл бұрын

Times are changing quickly my friend. 👍

@richardcorns8553

2 жыл бұрын

Most chargers are rammed now. Even Tesla chargers are full and queueing expected during holiday periods. This is a good start but we need way more chargers to cope with the massive uptake of EVs in the UK.

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

One thing I was told is that Gridserve are seeing over 50% utilisation in places. That's more then a fuel pump. Also, they support the grid with balancing so I think they'll do ok.

@grahamjohnson4702

2 жыл бұрын

@@Jamesandkate But that's because not enough charging units are being installed to keep up with the sale of new EVs for people that haven't got a driveway. Once the installation of more charging stations come along, each service area will have fewer customers, and the amount of customers at one time having a cup of coffee won't support a food restaurant.

@judebrown4103

2 жыл бұрын

@@grahamjohnson4702 I suspect Toddington has done his calculations before embarking on this admirable enterprise and he must reckon it will be viable. Only time will tell but I for one prefer to think positively and wish him and his colleagues every success.

8 new UK Nuke stations next to electrolyses ,the UK going fully Hydrogen.Gas comes from Russia and Middleast Batteries come from China ,politically unstable regions.But keep our EVs

Don't think we will get any of these charging hubs north of birmingham any time soon! especially round manchester.

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

They're building one in the Wirral.

@davidsworld5837

2 жыл бұрын

they got planning permission last year for Gateshead in Newcastle upon tyne but nothings happening it would be nice if they could stop doing ones were there are loads and come to places were chargers are always not working

@kez2164

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidsworld5837 whilst I agree it would be great to have a Gridserve hud in Gateshead with ultra rapid chargers, but to be fair there are a number of 50kw rapid chargers options nearby: 2x instavolt at McDonald's, 1x CYC at the stadium, 1x Podpoint at Tesco, 2x Osprey at Team Valley next to a costa, and 2x FastNeds at The Angel (great photo location). So whilst there is not a 'hub' there are plenty of options for rapid charging in Gateshead, if you look on zap map.

Hi James, thanks for an excellent video showing the impressive new facilities :) But as a disabled EV users I’m once again very disappointed by the missed opportunity to create a facility that really is fully accessible for everyone. I know that there are at least three dedicated disabled charging bays… but the layout is fundamentally flawed I believe. Just having a wide blue bay doesn’t make it fully accessible. 1 - the placement of the charge unit blocks access to the boot of a rear charging EV. Many wheelchair users store their wheelchair in the boot so they will be trapped in their vehicle once they have stopped to charge. 2 - I believe the layout should be angled at about 30 degrees with the charge unit sited in the natural void triangle space, this would not obstruct the front or rear of the EV. 3 - the cable management of these units is very poor; which can cause issues for some disabled users. 4 - the interaction with these charge units is also very poor as it often requires the user to be able to stand to read the screen clearly. I’ve been saying this to the infrastructure providers for years now; but frustratingly none seem to take the issues on board. I’m hoping things improve as their will be a lot of disabled EV users in the future; many of which will never have access to charging at home as many are without off street parking :)

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ian. So, I believe the bay is so wide so rear charging cars can park either side to allow boot access. The cables are also very long. There’s no kerbs either, it’s completely flat and the screen height is relatively low, although I’m not sure if it works well for wheelchair users. They seemed very pleased with it.

If you’re towing a caravan like @Andrewjditton it’ll be difficult to use….

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Yep, you'll have to uncouple for sure.

There must be around ten 350kw chargers there? Tesla are having their network advantage slowly eroded in the UK......

@CharlesGregory

2 жыл бұрын

I think the networks are complementary, the superchargers offer a lot more than just the fast charging rate.

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

@@CharlesGregory I stand corrected. There are 22 Ultra Rapid 350kw chargers at this site. I wasn't aware Tesla chargers offered other things other than charging. Speaking purely personally, all I'd want from a charger is a charge. I don't anticipate going the Tesla route anytime soon if I'm honest. I went with an eNiro 2 years ago, and I've no regrets.

Partygate Boris and Carrie on the way out so is Net Zero. After what I saw on Fully Charged at JCB with modified Diesel Engines everything is going hydrogen.

@jimsouthlondon7061

2 жыл бұрын

I’m keeping my EV MG btw I love driving electric

They have a disabled bay, without a charger???! Ah, they have a bay WITH a charger around the corner! Phew!

@Jamesandkate

2 жыл бұрын

Both bays have chargers

Sorry to bang on but what happens when Formula 1 goes fully hydrogen.

@jimsouthlondon7061

2 жыл бұрын

What happens UK Steel Production goes fully hydrogen ? web don’t have to rely on China when they invade Taiwan .

@ne270

2 жыл бұрын

In 15 years time I genuinely think EV technology will be so good that people will question why we ever doubted them. Range will be over 1000km, prices will have plummeted, they’ll be powered by 90% renewable energy and the batteries will be fully recyclable. I get people are scared of change, but I honestly think they will be a massive success.

North getting nowt so far. Northern Powerhouse don’t make me laugh.

@Zimpaz

2 жыл бұрын

They don’t have electric up there so impossible to have chargers

@davidsworld5837

2 жыл бұрын

Gateshead near newcastle upon tyne gave planning permission last march but nothing happening. its bad every one does every place near London tons of chargers and we get stuck with a few that are not working, turn off, or always have cars at the 1 charger that the place has

@Brian-om2hh

2 жыл бұрын

@@Zimpaz In which case, you may be shocked and stunned to learn there are EV chargers at John O Groats. And even on Orkney and Shetland...... In fact there are now around 300 EV's in use on Orkney......but then Orkney does generate 20% more electricity than the 22,000 inhabitants use. All from renewable sources too.....solar, wind and wave turbines. They're even producing hydrogen from renewables there now.......

North South Divide in Action. 👎👎

Amazing! Im jealous of your country.... You guys are ready for that EV infra...Thats a pretty huge property Over here _(can't disclose my country)_ Government doesn't even give a Shiet about terrible roads... Bridges take 10years to complete, _(yeah its India)_ No city planning.... Anyways may your country grow and never stop..🫡