The work being done to improve the country’s Electric vehicle charging network has been welcomed by a Government Minister who travelled to Milton Keynes in an electric car to see the technology first-hand.
Minister for the Cabinet Office, Oliver Dowden, visited Milton Keynes on Thursday Oct 10 to see the wide range of facilities which are now available to motorists with electric cars.
During his visit, he saw both the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre and the nearby Electric Vehicle Rapid Charging Hub, the UK’s largest universal rapid charging hub, which opened close to the M1 in Milton Keynes in March.
The charging hub houses 8 rapid chargers as part of the Polar Network under a neat canopy, plus 3 further rapid chargers under the IONITY Network.
The points enable drivers to fully charge a car in as little as 45 minutes – removing one point of consideration for potential electric car switchers around length of time to charge up. Funding for the hub came from the Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles.
The Minister said:
“The facilities we now have for electric car drivers across the country demonstrate the Government’s commitment to boosting the charging network and making electric vehicles a realistic alternative for many more motorists.
I travelled to Milton Keynes in an electric car myself and along with the other motorists I spoke to, I was massively impressed with the facilities on offer. They really show the way forward as we work to put the UK on the map as the best place in the world to both drive and build electric vehicles.”
The increased take-up of electric vehicles is a priority for the government. As a result, there are now more than 20,000 publicly accessible chargepoints across the country, with more than 2,000 rapid devices – meaning the UK has more rapid chargepoint connectors than France, Germany, Norway and the Netherlands.
The Electric Vehicle Experience Centre in the centre of Milton Keynes is on a mission to give motorists free advice on the range of electric vehicles available in the UK and details about the infrastructure network which is available across the country.
The ‘store’ can be found in the Centre:MK shopping centre and offers test drives of a variety of models. Some models are available to rent for a few days for drivers to become more familiar with electric motoring.
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