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Schneider Electric, Engenie and UK's first rapid-charge network

September 2012 News

Leading electric vehicle charging point operator, Engenie, recently commenced the rollout of the UK’s first vehicle rapid charging network supplied by Schneider Electric.

In the first project of its kind in the UK, the EVlink rapid charge units will be installed nationwide over the next few months across Roadchef motorway service areas. The state-of-the-art charging points will allow drivers to recharge a depleted battery vehicle in as little as 30 minutes. The first of these was switched on today at Roadchef’s Clacket Lane service area on the M25.

This project constitutes a significant step in the progression towards national electric vehicle mobility. Until this point, there have been major concerns over the inability of electric vehicles to travel long journey distances as well as worries over a lack of national charging infrastructure. Previous electric vehicle chargers in the UK require up to eight hours to fill an empty battery, which meant that driving an electric vehicle was severely restricted and journeys over 100 miles were practically impossible without an overnight stop.



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