Instavolt will massively increase the speed of more than 200 of its chargers from 50kW to 125kW in the coming weeks, in a move it claims will make it the largest ‘ultra-rapid’ charging network in the UK.
The British firm will upgrade the bulk of its CharePoint CPE250 chargers, which are the sort you’ll usually find in retail parks and in the car parks of McDonalds and Costa. The upgrade will more than double the speed compatible cars can be charged in, although that does mean you’ll have less time to eat your Big Mac.
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The hardware upgrades will be completed over a six-week period, with the aim for the work to be completed on all the chargers by the end of March. Instavolt says chargers that have been upgraded will be identifiable on its map, and third-party apps such as Zap-Map.
Instavolt boss Adrian Keen said: “The majority of EVs on the road will benefit from this upgrade. With most of our CPE250s located next to convenience retail, and roadside food and drinks outlets including operators such as Costa Coffee and McDonald’s, this is another example of InstaVolt perfectly matching charging speeds to dwell time and providing an even better experience for its drivers.”
The firm has also been expanding some of its charging hubs with extra units. It recently doubled the size of its hub in Banbury, Oxfordshire with 16 new 120kW chargers, meaning the site now houses 32 high-speed chargers.
Instavolt has pledged to offer 10,000 pubic high-speed chargers in the UK by 2032.
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