York’s second electric vehicle HyperHub, located next to Poppleton Park and Ride, is now officially open.
The new site opens during York Environment Week and joins the Monks Cross HyperHub, which opened earlier this year and is one of the largest charging hubs in Northern England.
Both HyperHub sites contain 4 Ultra-Rapid (175kW) and 4 Rapid (50kW) vehicle chargers, helping to support the uptake of modern electric vehicles (EV) that have larger battery capacities and are capable of Ultra Rapid charging.
Poppleton features 4175kW ultra-rapid chargers (which can be upgraded to 350kW when vehicle charging rates make that worthwhile).
The HyperHub also has a solar canopy which allows the site to generate its own renewable energy which can be stored in the Tesla Powerpack batteries at the charging hub, helping to reinforce the grid.
The ultra-rapid chargers are user-friendly for EV drivers and offer contactless payment methods. Cars and vans can access the chargers, and the facility has been designed with no kerbs to allow disabled access. Protection from the weather is provided by the solar canopy and all of the electricity supplied from the National Grid will be generated by renewable sources.
The unique project is the result of a partnership between City of York Council and EvoEnergy.
Cllr Keith Aspden, leader of City of York Council, said: “York is now proud to be the home of one of the largest electric vehicle charging hubs in Northern England.
“Monks Cross Hyperhub has been hugely popular since it opened this year. Poppleton offers the same convenience, sustainability and speed.
“Our Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy and work with EvoEnergy are key to the success of this project. The HyperHubs are just the latest part of city wide work to support more sustainable travel and our efforts to make York cleaner and greener.”
Jonathan Roper, senior renewable energy consultant at EvoEnergy, added: “The HyperHub next to Poppleton Park and Ride, sister site to Monks Cross, with elements such as rapid and ultra-rapid chargers, solar energy generation and battery storage, is enabled by the solar and batteries installed onsite.
“The grid capacity in this location is limited, which could limit the number of people charging at the site simultaneously. With batteries being charged by solar energy, more people will be able to charge up at once in a hassle-free way, helping to reduce emissions from road transport in York.”
A key element behind the development of the HyperHubs was the production of an Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy by the council. This looked at a wide range of issues in order to ensure that the HyperHubs met the needs of residents, fleets, commuters and through traffic. The convenient location of the charging hubs was a central part of the strategy, with the first 2 HyperHub sites being located off the ring road next to established Park and Ride sites.
The Electric Vehicle Charging Strategy also identified that it wasn’t yet commercially viable for the private sector to develop such charging hubs, so the council would own its charging network in order to guarantee the best results for residents. This allows the council to plan how the network will grow and to set tariffs, as well as making it directly accountable and enabling it to deliver next generation chargers as quickly as possible.
The funding for the HyperHubs is also unique, with City of York Council successfully securing £1 million of European Regional Development Funding and £800,000 from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, along with £400,000 of the council’s own capital funding to install the first two HyperHubs. This has resulted in 80% of the £2.2 million project being externally funded.
