EV charging technology firm Gridserve to open innovation centre in Swindon
Buckinghamshire-based electric vehicle charging technology firm Gridserve is opening new innovation and technology facility in Swindon.
The Gridserve Innovation and Operations Centre (GIOC) will also be home to the newly formed Gridserve Technologies following the acquisition of Swindon-based Silver Power Systems (SPS), a leading IOT edge computing business, specialising in the technology-agnostic integration of battery data, analytics, telematics, monitoring and control systems.
The new Gridserve Technologies team will combine SPS’ expertise and knowledge in proprietary IOT edge computing systems, with Gridserve mission to deliver sustainable energy on the scale needed to move the needle on climate change.
The opening of the GIOC, with Gridserve Technologies at its core, will give the business substantial additional capabilities, allowing it to further optimise the performance of all components of its charging networks more efficiently and accurately than ever before.
Gridserve Technologies, at the new Swindon facility, will be instrumental in driving innovation and smart connectivity throughout the company’s Sun-to-Wheel ecosystem, intelligently integrating solar energy generation, battery storage, electric vehicle charging and electric vehicle data into a single platform to deliver the best possible EV customer experience.
It is already at the forefront of ground-breaking innovation with multiple UK-firsts in the works for the company.
Gridserve Technologies’ own edge-computing hardware is being installed and tested in the company’s charging network and with multiple types of vehicles to monitor and enhance performance.
The technology gives Gridserve access to unparalleled levels of charging, battery, and vehicle data, which it is now able to use in supporting the operations of its infrastructure and networks, including assisting in the rapid remote diagnosis of charging problems and predicting and fixing issues ahead of them affecting customers.
It presents a pathway to deliver a world class, seamless customer experience, agnostic of each application or technology system.
The proprietary IOT edge computing hardware together with the data available also enables the business to solve and fast-track grid connection challenges and deliver more sophisticated forms of charging infrastructure.
For example, Gridserve can use its unrivalled expertise in solar and batteries to bolster low power grid connections and deliver high power electric vehicle charging much more rapidly than would otherwise be possible.
This technology and expertise will now be perfected and accelerated at the GIOC, with local integration and assembly of rapid deployment platforms, logistics, procurement, R&D, new product development, and interoperability testing all helping to increase collaboration, reduce feedback loops and streamline Gridserve functions and ability to deliver with increasing scale and pace.
Toddington Harper, Gridserve CEO, said: “Efficiency and innovation are key to delivering net zero transport within the timeframes available to us to move the needle on climate change.
"In opening the Gridserve Innovation and Operations Centre and announcing the formation of Gridserve Technologies, we are taking big steps forward to harness the power that technology and data can deliver for the EV transition.
“The greater the knowledge and integration we can achieve both within our teams and throughout the full Sun-to-Wheel ecosystem, the better the service, innovation, and customer experience we can deliver across our charging networks and partner locations.
Read more: UK firms to adopt 163,000 electric vehicles this year
"The GIOC also provides a substantial step forward in Gridserve being able to seamlessly innovate in a shared space, with the Gridserve Technologies team’s vast experience in delivering real-time, technology-agnostic, performance-enhancing monitoring and control solutions, being placed at the centre of Gridserve.
Pete Bishop, CTO of Gridserve Technologies, and founder of Silver Power Systems, said: “We’re hugely excited about what we can achieve together and the opening of GIOC in Swindon.
"The additional resources and investment will enable Gridserve Technologies to further accelerate our unique technology development to better support Gridserve's platform and our customers.
"We’ve been welcomed with open arms and have been smoothly integrated into the Gridserve team, allowing us to carry on delivering during the transition, with a renewed focus and significantly enlarged ambition.”
