Electric car drivers to benefit from massive expansion of ultra-rapid chargers in 'exciting milestone'

According to Zap-Map, there are 48,450 EV charging points around the UK, across more than 29,000 different charging locations.

This represents a massive 42 per cent increase in the total number of charging devices since August 2022.

Of these, there are more than 9,000 rapid and ultra-rapid devices at 4,752 locations, with an additional 243 chargers installed last month.

As part of a new partnership between Ionity and Village Hotels, the chargers will be rolled out across 33 locations around Great Britain.

The new charging hubs will all open with up to 12 ultra-fast DC charging points on day one.

While all of them are expected to be operational by the end of next year, a phased opening will see the first sites go live as early as April 2024.

Andreas Atkins, country manager of UK and Ireland at Ionity, said: “Partnering with Village Hotels is an exciting milestone for Ionity as it expands the public charging network significantly for all EV drivers in Great Britain.

“This partnership brings us closer to our goal of ensuring EV charging is available to everyone as conveniently as possible across Europe, whilst providing access to fantastic amenities.

“The growth to Ionity’s network across Village Hotel’s sites will continue to improve EV drivers’ access to both long and short distance travel in the UK, without the concerns of range anxiety or charger queuing.”

All Ionity chargers use 100 per cent green energy from source to socket, with EV owners being able to travel emission-free if they stay at a Village Hotel location.

The chargers will offer ultra-fast EV charging with speeds up to 350kW, which is often seen as the upper end of ultra-rapid EV charging speeds.

Kelli Turner, Village Hotels Director of ESG commented: “We are delighted to be working with Ionity on this exciting project.

“As well as providing EV users with a hugely valuable service, and additional 33 locations across Great Britain, this is a significant moment for us as we move towards a more sustainable future and aligned with our Village Green vision that underlies our ESG Strategy.

“This partnership forms part of a wide-ranging plan that will see us reduce our environmental impact and set science-based emissions targets.

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“Other crucial changes include a move to 100 per cent renewable energy across all hotels by the end of 2023.”