Electric briefs: Latest EV news from Osprey Charging, TfL, Radius and SVA

Radius invests £10m to help businesses transition to electric vehicles

Radius has announced a £10 million investment into its electric vehicle (EV) division, Radius Charge.

The multi-million investment comes as Radius recently acquired two EV solutions companies, EV Charging Solutions and EV Back Office and is nearing the completion of its new technology hub in Crewe.

Following the investment, Radius Charge now offers an end-to-end EV solution for customers including: assessing commercial fleet readiness for the EV switch; installing EV chargers; EV leasing; EV charge cards; supplying renewable energy and energy management; and providing software to operate chargers.

Bill Holmes, CEO of Radius, said: “Our reason for being is to help customers navigate to a sustainable future and with this latest investment into EV charging and renewable energy, we are now able to help businesses make the transition to a greener fleet solution.

“Our Radius Charge division will provide customers with trusted help and advice to enable them to save money, run more efficiently and meet their sustainability targets. All this whilst providing outstanding service and using our technology hub to continually evolve our solutions to keep up with the developing landscape.”

Osprey Charging opens ultra-rapid charging hub

Osprey Charging has opened its latest ultra-rapid charging hub at The Halfway House on the A127 in Essex, just off the M25.

The charging hub features six high-powered electric vehicle (EV) chargers next to the UK’s busiest motorway.

The charging bay layout provides the driver space to easily manoeuvre and access the charge point, while overhead lighting and canopies create a safe and sheltered charging experience.

As a result, the site has been scored 4.75 for safety and 4.83 for accessibility (out of 5) by independent charge point inspection body ChargeSafe.

The chargers accept contactless bank cards, Apple/Google Pay, the Osprey App, and RFID card payments, as well as through third-party payments, such as a fleet card.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “Our new ultra-rapid charging hub in Essex is a major addition to the UK’s EV charging infrastructure at an important location for locals, commuters and through traffic, right next to the M25. Our team has maximised the opportunity the site affords to build a safe and accessible charging hub with bespoke canopies, which is both distinctive and practical for drivers.

“We are always looking at how we can make the charging experience better for our customers, and the use of load balancing technology at this site means more drivers are able to charge their vehicle faster, with no power wasted.

“We look forward to welcoming customers to take a relaxing break from their journey as their vehicle charges, before heading off feeling recharged and refreshed.”

In the first quarter of 2023 alone, Osprey installed as many chargers as it did throughout 2022, with 142 new rapid charging stations going live.

TfL awards contract for 39 new electric vehicle charging bays

Transport for London (TfL) has awarded Zest a contract to roll out 39 new electric vehicle (EV) charging bays across 24 locations in south and southwest London by the end of 2024, including outer London boroughs such as Sutton and Bromley.

The charging infrastructure will be placed in parking bays near key routes used for essential road journeys typically made by high mileage, commercial users – including taxis and freight.

Part of TfL’s EV Infrastructure Delivery Programme, these new EV charging bays further expand London’s charging network.

David Rowe, TfL’s director of investment delivery planning, said: “These 39 bays are the start of our new programme to boost the number of rapid charging points in the capital by making public land available to private sector providers to support those making the switch to zero emission vehicles.

“More rapid charging points are key to encouraging people and businesses to make the transition to electric vehicles, giving drivers confidence that they have a place to power up in a short period of time.

“We’re glad to be working with Zest UK to expand the number of EV charging points across the capital, adding to the city’s extensive network.”

Robin Heap, Zest CEO, said: "Placing rapid and ultra-rapid charging points directly onto London’s high-volume arterial roads will make it easier for drivers to choose electric and improve the air quality for local communities.

“We're looking forward to providing and operating these charge points in partnership with Transport for London.”

SVA achieves Electric Vehicle Approved status

Shoreham Vehicle Auctions (SVA) has been awarded Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) status to celebrate its commitment to environmental initiatives.

The EVA scheme has been developed by the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) to recognise supplier and dealer excellence in the electric vehicle sector. It is endorsed by the Government’s Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) and the Energy Saving Trust.

The scheme encourages suppliers to develop their ability in selling electric vehicles and recognises SVA’s expertise in the electric vehicle sector and promotes industry standards for the benefit of both buyers and sellers at auction.

SVA has rolled out several environmental initiatives over the past 18 months as part of its ambition to achieve net zero status whilst supporting its external customers.

This includes installing 140 solar panels on the roof of its premises which produce 50kW of clean energy daily. These help power 15 chargers that charge the growing number of EVs being sold at auction and to power SVA’s own company vehicle fleet.

Some 90% of SVA’s company vehicle fleet are now EVs and recently its electric Nissan eNV200 minibus - used by its plate drivers - passed 150,000 miles. SVA has also achieved ISO 14001 the internationally agreed standard that powers its environmental management processes.

Alex Wright, SVA’s MD, said: “Our plans for becoming a net zero business have been in place for the past three years and we are pleased so many of those initiatives have started to come together.

“We are virtually 100% energy sufficient thanks to the solar panels and our internal processes have been brought into line with our ISO14001 accreditation.”