Pod Point to expand public charging network

Pod Point is planning to expand its public charging network in 2018, with rapid chargers playing a key part in strategy.

The company is set to offer 150kW rapid chargers in the UK, in anticipation of the next generation of EVs.

The majority of commercially available EVs are currently limited to a maximum of 50kW charge capacity.

However, there are a number of high profile cars set to launch in 2018 and beyond with bigger batteries and faster-charging capabilities.

These high battery capacity EVs will initially be premium models and represent a small proportion of the market. The pace of innovation and the falling cost of batteries, however, suggests they will become more mainstream over time.

Pod Point believes that its high power rapid chargers are best suited to strategic motorway locations to meet the needs of drivers undertaking long journeys.

The technology offered in these rapid chargers have been designed to offer maximum flexibility with a modular design that can be adapted as EV adoption rises.

Site owners and operators can prepare for future advances in technology by specifying a 150kW+ transformer while installing 50kW chargepoints. These can then be increased to 150kW+ at a later date, avoiding costly infrastructure upgrades.

Erik Fairbairn, our founder and CEO of Pod Point: "We’re bringing this to market as the UK is on the cusp of an electric revolution. We’re about to see a lot more EVs go on sale, so bringing the 150kW charger out now is a logical next step for us... Using our high power 150kW rapids, an EV with a 90kWh battery would be able to charge from flat to 80% in under 30 minutes."

Pod Point plan to significantly expand its public charging network in 2018, with rapid chargers a playing a key role in our growth strategy. We’ve have had a 1,000% per cent surge in charge cycles per month on our rapid charger network since May 2017.