Buckinghamshire's Gridserve to go global as it reveals international strategy at COP26

Gridserve, the Buckinghamshire based sustainable energy company that develops and operates clean energy for critical power infrastructure, has launched The Gridserve Partner Network to open up the company’s ‘Sun-To-Wheel Ecosystem’ – comprising hybrid solar and battery farms, electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, and electric vehicle solutions – globally.

The plans, announced to international sustainable energy leaders as Gridserve spoke at COP26, aim to speed up the global rollout of world-class EV charging infrastructure powered by net zero carbon sustainable energy, in the shortest possible timeframes.

Toddington Harper, Founder and CEO of Gridserve, said: “Gridserve’s mission is to help deliver sustainable energy on the scale needed to move the needle on climate change. In the UK we are delivering this vision at an extraordinary pace, building a Sun-to-Wheel ecosystem of hybrid solar and battery farms, high-power EV chargers, and electric vehicle leasing solutions supported by customer experience technology that is decarbonising the UK’s transport system and giving drivers everywhere the confidence to go electric sooner than anyone could have imagined only a few years ago.

“However, to be serious about addressing the climate crisis, we need to think and act on a global scale. That’s why we are launching the Gridserve Partner Network to share our knowledge, expertise and experience from delivering and operating the leading charging network in the UK, to help like-minded partners to also rapidly deliver the best possible EV charging networks at scale across the world.”

In just four years since being established, Gridserve says it has delivered the UK’s most comprehensive EV charging network, recently being awarded the prestigious crown of Chargepoint Network of the Year at the EVIES, the electric vehicle innovation and excellence awards 2021, held in Bristol last month.

The company also builds and operates hybrid solar and battery farms, which generate close to 100 million kWh’s of zero carbon energy each year, and also provide net zero carbon energy to Gridserve’s charging network, which serves 85 per cent of the UK’s motorway network as well as towns and cities across the UK.

Gridserve opened the world’s first Electric Forecourt in December 2020 in Braintree and plans to open several more in the next 12 months. More than 100 Electric Forecourts are planned to be built as part of a £1bn+ investment programme. More than 50 additional Electric Hubs, each featuring 6-12x 350kW chargers, are also being built across the UK in a separate £100m+ rollout, with the first site opened at Rugby Services earlier this year and several additional sites now also under construction. In the last 100 days alone, Gridserve says it has installed new chargers at 100 locations.

Supported by Hitachi Capital UK plc and TPG’s The Rise Fund, Gridserve has also invested millions of pounds into research and development to deliver and operate net zero electric charging infrastructure that is functional, reliable and easy to use. It has developed relationships with some of the world’s leading technology providers, including charging hardware providers ABB and Tritium, and amassed huge experience in planning, development, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance and management of large-scale electric vehicle charging hubs.

Despite considerable growth and success in the UK, a truly global rollout of EV infrastructure is the only way to decarbonise transport in the timeframes required to limit the worst effects of climate change.

Gridserve is already in discussions with international petrol forecourt operators, landowners and investors to deploy its infrastructure, and is using the platform created by COP26 to reach out to others to raise awareness about the GRIDSERVE Partner Network and to commence discussions.

In addition to Gridserve leasing land and investing its own capital in building and operating its own EV charging infrastructure, the Partner Network provides the opportunity for partners to invest themselves, or co-invest alongside Gridserve , to establish their own EV charging networks in partnership, providing the maximum flexibility without having to build an entire tech-enabled EV charging business.

Toddington Harper added: “Everything we have achieved in the UK has required us to overcome massive complexities and challenges – experience we’ve spent years developing. It’s now time to share those learnings with partners across the world and accelerate the shift to net zero transport. Our Partner Network allows us to do just that, enabling others to capitalise on our market leading EV charging solutions within their own networks and geographies.”

Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, said: “Our partnership with GRIDSERVE has been a total game-changer for electric mobility in the UK. Not only are we providing electric vehicles at some of the most competitive rates on the market, but we are at the same time developing a network of rapid, reliable and renewably powered EV charging infrastructure that will fast-track the electric vehicle revolution.

“We’re incredibly excited to support GRIDSERVE in its next phase of growth as it launches the Partner Network to export its unique expertise across the world and help like-minded partners everywhere to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change.”

Gridserve was promoted by the UK Government as one of the world’s foremost companies leading the fight against climate change on a video played at the COP26 World Leaders Summit – the flagship event of COP26 which brought together Heads of State and Government from all over the world.

https://www.businessinnovationmag.co.uk/stroud-based-ecotricity-sells-its-electric-highway-car-charging-network-to-gridserve/