Hitachi Capital and Gridserve join forces to accelerate EV uptake

Hitachi Capital (UK) and Gridserve have entered a partnership which aims to create the infrastructure to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles.

The partnership will see Hitachi Capital UK bring its financial strength and motor industry expertise to work in partnership with the renewable energy sector company.

Gridserve will develop advanced hybrid solar farms in conjunction with a new network of solar powered Electric Forecourts to provide ultra-fast charging for all types of electric vehicles.

The UK-wide network of more than 100 Electric Forecourts will be delivered over the next five years.

The first one will be opened near Braintree, Essex, this summer. This will have space for 24 vehicles to charge simultaneously in 20 to 30 minutes at a rate of up to 350kw from its superchargers.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve Sustainable Energy, said: “Our strategic partnership with Hitachi Capital marks a major milestone in Gridserve’s journey.

“As well as providing significant financial backing to accelerate our ability to deliver sustainable energy and meet net zero carbon emission targets in the earliest possible timeframes, Hitachi Capital has an unrivalled wealth of experience, knowledge, resources and expertise to support our collective success.

“We look forward to launching our first Electric Forecourt together in a few months, and delivering many additional projects over the next few years.”

Hitachi Capital UK’s loan facility to Gridserve will facilitate projects including hybrid solar farms in Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire.

Gridserve will generate zero carbon solar energy to supply the Electric Forecourt network, in combination with large battery storage systems to deal with the intermittent nature of solar power and meet the growing demand for sustainable energy.

In addition to the loan facility, Hitachi Capital and Gridserve, in conjunction with Hitachi Europe SIB, are working together on various green energy-focused projects including electrification of the UK bus network and the supply of electric vehicles with charging included at Gridserve Electric Forecourts.

Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital (UK), added: “The response to the current pandemic has highlighted the impact of carbon emissions on the environment.

“We now have a real opportunity through flagship programmes like this, to create the infrastructure needed to fast-track electric vehicle adoption across the UK and meet the Government’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050.

“Hitachi Capital’s established relationship with car manufacturers and brokers complements Gridserve’s expertise in solar energy and battery storage and plans to build state-of-the-art Electric Forecourts powered using 100% renewable energy generated from solar farms.

“Our partnership, at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, marks a real step change in addressing range anxiety caused by the lack of available charging stations currently available throughout the country.”