Fleets will soon have access to a network of electric vehicle charging hubs, offering retail and business facilities while drivers top up, and the first two sites will open in London this year.

The EV Hubs will offer rapid charging with membership schemes for fleet and private motorists.

Recently funded by a major vehicle manufacturer, EV Hub UK is the brainchild of property expert Simon Lloyd, working with David Lloyd, founder of the leisure club network of the same name, and is aimed at providing facilities to meet the demands of the growing plug-in vehicle sector.

The idea is to offer a two-storey, 20×20 metre, modular structure which can be easily adapted and quickly installed at transport hubs, service areas and retail parks, offering pay-as-you-go rapid charging for visitors and access to rental and sharing vehicles from its partners.

Inside, the sites will include business centres with high-speed broadband, as well as a selection of retail, food and drink and leisure facilities, such as gyms. Each will have its own energy storage system, meaning the electricity can be drawn from the grid during off-peak times.

Users will be able to sign up to a membership scheme for discounted charging, and there will be a club for businesses, such as fleets, taxi drivers and commercial vehicle operators too. The network will also offer a concierge service, to help drivers plug in, as well as the option to pre-book charging points.

The first two hubs will open at undisclosed locations in London before the end of the year, with ten planned in 2017 and 20 per year in 2018 and 2019, Simon Lloyd told Fleet World. The aim is to reach a rate of 50 per year afterwards.