Revolutionary EV charging 'drive-thru' launching soon can add 100 miles of range in just 5 minutes

WATCH: The Department for Transport announces measures to make it cheaper to install EV chargers

|

DFT

Felix Reeves

By Felix Reeves


Published: 18/10/2025

- 04:00

The innovative EV charging station is expected to launch next winter

A revolutionary electric vehicle charging hub is to be developed that would create the first drive-thru charger station in the UK.

Chargepoint operator Fastned has been given the green light to build a new ultra-rapid charging hub inside a disused warehouse in Aberdeen.


The hub will feature 12 ultra-rapid charging bays, providing drivers with up to 100 miles of range in just five minutes using the impressive 400kW chargers.

Aberdeen City Council approved the project, which is scheduled to be opened to the public in winter next year.

While drivers wait for their vehicles to charge, they will be able to make use of facilities, including a shop, toilets and a seating area.

The hub will be developed inside the Grampian House warehouse off Virginia Street, which forms part of Aberdeen's inner ring road.

The drive-thru format will be similar to that found in petrol stations, with motorists stopping for just a few minutes as they wait for their vehicles to charge.

Fastned praised the concept, highlighting how it will boost productivity for drivers, improve accessibility for all types of vehicles and cut down waiting times.

The Fastned drive-thru charging station

The drive-thru charging station is expected to launch in winter 2026

|

FASTNED

Tom Hurst, UK Country Director at Fastned, said: "I'm over the moon that Aberdeen City Council has supported our application and given us the green light.

"This means we can break ground at the site as soon as possible and kick-start this very exciting project.

"It's really a revolutionary approach to EV charging and will transform the charging experience for many customers, especially in a part of the country where the weather isn't always the best."

Mr Hurst said he was "truly delighted" to support the transition to electric vehicles in Scotland, as well as expanding its network in the north of England and Scotland.

The Fastned drive-thru charging station

Aberdeen City Council confirmed that the drive-thru charging hub would be developed inside the Grampian House warehouse in Aberdeen

|

FASTNED

The Fastned drive-thru charging station

Fastned already operates more than 2,100 ultra-rapid chargers across the globe

|

FASTNED

At present, there are 7,355 charging devices across Scotland, placing it behind Greater London (26,668), the South East of England (11,007) and the West Midlands (7,664).

However, Scotland places second when it comes to the most rapid and ultra-rapid chargers with 2,017, placing only behind the South East of England with 2,451.

This is the first time a warehouse has been converted into an EV charging hub across the UK and could spark a step-change in the way companies expand their charging facilities.

Fastned already operates more than 2,100 ultra-rapid chargers across more than 350 locations and in nine different countries.

Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport in Scotland, described Fastned's new drive-thru charging project as a "really positive development" for the country.

The SNP MSP for Linlithgow said the charging scheme was evidence that public ambition and public sector investment can influence the switch away from polluting petrol and diesel vehicles.

She continued, saying: "We've already achieved our target of 6,000 public charge points two years ahead of schedule thanks to a combination of public funding and increasing private sector investment, with the private sector now responsible for more than two-thirds of Scotland’s public EV charging.

"This new hub would be the first of its kind in the UK, showing Scotland really can lead the way in transforming how people choose to travel."