Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero and MP for Welwyn Hatfield, Grant Shapps, welcomed the expansion of EV charging at The Bakehouse, Welwyn Garden City. 

Grant Shapps and Ian Johnston at the new charging hub

Grant Shapps recently visited the newly expanded charging hub alongside Osprey CEO and chair of ChargeUK Ian Johnston. As Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield, Mr Shapps welcomed the addition of greater access to EV charging in his constituency, supporting local decarbonisation efforts and the uptake of EVs both for residents and businesses.

The charging location is owned and operated by Osprey Charging. At the hub the Secretary of State discussed with Mr Johnston the capabilities of the eight newly installed 300kW ultra-rapid EV chargers, which adhere to new government regulations that all rapid chargers must accept bank cards.

The new rapid charge points are also compatible with every EV on the market today and can add 100 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes, depending on the model of the vehicle and its battery.

Grant Shapps, Welwyn Hatfield MP and Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said: “I’m delighted to see the expansion of Osprey’s EV charging site, which has proved to be an important asset to Welwyn Hatfield’s EV drivers. Fast, reliable and easy-to-use public EV charging locations such as this hub are vitally important to hitting our net-zero targets. They help improve confidence in the national infrastructure and practically support the uptake of electric vehicles at the local level too.”

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “A crucial element of our strategy at Osprey is to understand the requirements of our customers and adapt the network to meet growing customer demand, installing more chargers in locations across Great Britain and upgrading existing locations. The Bakehouse is one of our most popular sites to date and the latest in our roll out of 150 high-power hubs, that includes upgrading existing in-demand locations such as this.”.

Osprey’s in-bay charging hub layout maximises space around the charge points for all drivers, while the cables themselves are weight-managed overhead for easy manoeuvrability.

As EV uptake increases across the country ahead of the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, more and more of Welwyn Garden City’s visitors will look for EV charging as standard. Osprey has funded this installation, operation and oversees maintenance of the chargers which are all supplied with renewable energy.