Electric car owners offered free charging for one week to celebrate 'very high driver demand'
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RAW Charging said it would accelerate the rollout of more ultra-rapid charging hubs over the next 12 months
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Motorists are being offered free electric vehicle charging for the next week to celebrate the launch of a new ultra-rapid charging hub.
RAW Charging has unveiled its new flagship site in Forest Hill, South London, which includes 12 ultra-rapid electric car charging bays.
The EV chargepoint operator, in partnership with Hubber, has pledged to offer free EV charging from Wednesday, August 20, until Wednesday, August 27.
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The new ultra-rapid charging hub is the largest purpose-built facility in South London, alongside a "standout" hospitality offering.
Drivers will benefit from free charging until Wednesday, August 27
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Drivers will be able to make use of three 150kW ultra-rapid charging units and three 300kW units that can serve 12 vehicles at any one time.
The charging hub is located just 200 metres from Forest Hill Station, with RAW highlighting its importance for commuters in South London.
Research has found that 26 per cent of Londoners commute to work by car, emphasising the importance of the new site.
Neil Broadbank, CCO of RAW Charging, said Forest Hill was the first of many "Rapid Hubs" being set up by the company, with more to come over the next 12 months.
The new site features 12 ultra-rapid EV charging devices
|RAW CHARGING
He hinted that these would be launched across the capital at popular retail, leisure and hospitality destinations to help electric car drivers with their daily habits.
Mr Broadbank added: "Thanks to Hubber and their dynamic approach, we're unlocking the development and energisation of these sites in record time, with this particular site being acquired, developed and constructed from start to finish in nine months.
"RAW are catering to very high driver demand, and we're enabling and enhancing experiences with EV charging at retail, leisure and hospitality destinations nationwide."
Chargepoint operators are also being boosted by the Government, with Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood announcing the update in May.
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Labour announced that motorists and companies would no longer need to apply for planning permission to install an electric vehicle charger.
Experts praised the move from the Government, saying that it would save months of delays, reduce costs and turbocharge the rollout of EV charging devices.
Harry Fox, co-founder and CEO of Hubber, said: "Large, high-powered hubs like Forest Hill play a vital role in enhancing London’s fast, reliable charging network.
"We're proud to deliver this in partnership with RAW and look forward to the long-term benefits this collaboration will bring to drivers and the city."
RAW has a number of ultra-rapid charging hubs across the country
| RAW CHARGINGData from Zapmap shows that there are 84,218 public EV charging devices across the UK, with almost 1,850 installed in the last month alone.
This is in addition to an estimated one million chargers installed at homes. This is expected to grow massively in the coming years as more drivers make the switch to EVs and manufacturers offer home chargers as extra incentives.
There are hopes that the UK will see the installation of 300,000 chargers by the end of the decade to give motorists confidence to ditch their old petrol and diesel vehicles.
This deadline will coincide with the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030. By 2035, only new zero emission vehicles will be on sale.