Simon Lloyd, CEO of EV HUB Global, explains how the company’s network of charging ‘hubs’ will make life easier for electric vehicle drivers.

The EV Hubs will offer a range of facilities for drivers while they charge

What is an EV Hub?

It’s the 21st Century filling station that London needs right now, so important things like reducing pollution and mass adoption of electric vehicles can take place, quickly.

Right now there are less than 1,000 rapid chargers available to the nearly 100,000 EV owners just in the UK. There are 50,000+ taxis that have to be off the roads of London by 2020; because they pollute or fall foul of new legislation. 2.97 million vehicles were registered for the first time in Great Britain during 2014, so if predictions that 50% of vehicles are EVs by 2025, guess how many will be on UK roads by then.

We have been working behind the scenes for nearly seven years ready to rapidly roll out the 21st Century filling station. Somewhere where you can charge up, get a decent coffee and a pint of milk.

What will you offer?

The EV Hub is open to all EV drivers who want to rapid charge their EVs in a faster time than any other location. We are a full service facility so you can charge up and rest or do some work while the vehicle charges. Our pluggers are there to help make your day much better.

Charge times now are around 30mins, but they will get much fast very soon. We have the best super chargers, so it’s only the battery of your EV that dictates the time to fill it up. New EVs available in 2017 have a 200-300 mile range and have a 60kW battery. We’ll have 20 megawatt energy storage on site, so we won’t be a burden on the grid. We’ll draw night time energy for use in the day.

There are a number of different concept images for the Hub and the new version has even more solar on the building and uses a lot of solar glass to make it an all-weather facility. There is the HUBBA HUBBA and converted logistics facility close to Heathrow for eTaxis, eBuses and energy storage.

How will membership work?

There are three options. You can just come in to charge and pay by VISA or you can join as a member and book a place to charge at the time you want. Some of our locations will be close to well-known food stores so we can have your vehicle ready when you return from shopping. Some EV charging companies are asking for 15p a mile, we believe 5p a mile is reasonable for a full service facility. Petrol is around 12.5p a mile.

On a fleet membership you can book your time to coincide with your break. At the large charging facilities known as EV HUBBA HUBBAs we will have full service cafeteria with the best all day breakfasts, chilaquiles con huevo, nasi goreng or even paratha with roti. We will even have some bays for flash charging for the new eBuses for private operators who need to enter central London – 300 miles in 20 minutes is now normal.

If you’re a professional driver and you’re not looking at going over to electric then you’re not looking into this properly. The savings are so appealing whatever way you look at it.

Where will the network be located?

Phase one is London-centric because that is the most important strategically. I would expect in the next 18 months 10 to 12 in the London area, 20 each year after that and around 50 by 2020, over 200 by 2025. If [the Government] wants 50% [of new cars to be] EVs by 2025, it isn’t going to happen without infrastructure.

I am loaded with sites, including at food stores, and gas stations I want to convert. Very soon it will be normal to see a EV HUB in your area and you will wonder where did all those smelly petrol filling stations disappear to.