The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway is celebrating its first birthday and what a year it has been. Here are just a few things we’ve been doing to make the EV charging experience better for everyone.

1. We committed to upgrading the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway and have installed over 500 reliable, High and Medium Power Chargers across the network. As of today, the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway includes over 160 sites with more than 900 connectors for CCS, CHAdeMO and Type 2 AC.
2. We launched seven new Electric Super Hubs with High Power Chargers capable of supplying up to 350kW. The first opened at Moto Rugby Services just before we acquired the Electric Highway, then we installed Swansea, Exeter, Burton-in-Kendal, Thurrock, Severn-View, and Heston West. There are also many more in construction to ensure that drivers feel confident they can travel anywhere in an electric vehicle. 
3. We opened our second Electric Forecourt® in Norwich, Norfolk with 36 chargers and the best possible customer experience. It has awesome retail options and an airport style lounge with private meeting pods and an education space for those who wish to learn more about EVs in a friendly, low-pressure environment.
4. To make charging easier for all, we launched a 24/7 customer service helpline and a live chat function so drivers can get help on the spot if needed. This includes services such as online receipts, charger resetting or just advice if customers want to ask questions. We also cut our pre-authorisation fee to just £1 at every site on the network with the exception of Moto Rugby Services, but we’re working on that!
5. We developed our own interactive map, partnered with Zap Map and ‘A Better Route Planner’, so customers can see real-time updates on availability from our chargers. We also began integrations with other leading navigation partners so the ever-growing number of EV drivers in the UK can receive live updates from the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway in one easy place.
6. We started to roll out a trial of dual charging across the Medium Power Chargers on the network with a view to then rolling the functionality out across the network when all the testing has been completed. It’s been a challenging and complex process for both us and our charger partners, so there is much more to come here.
7. We received planning approval to build new Electric Forecourts at Plymouth, Stevenage, Bromborough, Uckfield and Gateshead. Construction is also imminent at our Gatwick Airport Electric Forecourt®
8. We proudly hosted “the electric road to COP26” for EVA England, Nexus Car Club and the GEVA drivers’ teams from our Braintree Electric Forecourt® and our CEO, Toddington Harper, spoke to world leaders at the COP26 Sustainable Innovation Forum.
9. We joined the Essex Wildlife Trust as an ‘Investor in Wildlife’ to further support the environment and increase biodiversity in the region of Essex where our first Electric Forecourt® was built in Braintree. We are aiding the Essex Wildlife Trust in two projects: firstly, encouraging sediment accretion and recolonisation of two local salt marshes to protect tiny critters within the mud, fish in the creeks and birds on the shore. The second is a seagrass regeneration project that will help to store tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
10. On the awards front, we won ‘The most improved network’ of the year in a publicly sourced Zap Map Survey. Based on weighted factors such as charging speed, customer service and accessibility, we are proud to have taken the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway from last place (16^th out of 16th) to equal 5^th position against all other charge network providers in the UK. Then, in January 2022, we were the first non-carmaker to receive the prestigious ‘Innovation Award’ from What Car?, an influential car-buying magazine. We also won two Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellence Awards (EVIES) for ‘Charging Destination of the Year’ and ‘ChargePoint Network of the Year’, and recently won a British Renewable Energy Award for ‘Best Project of 2021’.
11. We helped our partners DigiGo to launch an on-demand green minibus service with six electric vans to service the Essex area with net zero emissions transport for those without access to cars. The vans will exclusively charge at the Braintree Electric Forecourt® and are bookable via an app to create a service allowing travellers to ride share and be picked up at a time or place of their choosing.
12. We launched a new test drive service at our Electric Forecourts® where drivers can save time visiting dealerships and try a range of cars in one place through our brand agnostic leasing service. You can book an early test drive spot here.

With year one under our belts, we still have lots to do! Thank you to everyone who has supported us, and to those who have been patient along the way. We continue to work as quickly as possible to bring reliable, affordable and sustainable EV charging to UK drivers. The future is bright, and we are excited to bring you more updates in the coming months.

Like this? You’ll love

1. Take a sustainable escape in Devon
2. Meet the manager of Norwich Electric Forecourt®