New electric car charging lab to boost reliability of public EV chargers

One of the UK’s largest EV chargepoint operators has announced the launch of its new testing lab which is designed to boost the speed and reliability of its network of public EV chargers. The facility will allow the company to test electric cars to ensure more reliable connections to its chargers.

Gridserve operates as many as 1,200 charging bays across 90 locations in the UK and is known for opening the nation’s first-ever electric car charging forecourt in Braintree, Essex. 

The firm says its new Swindon-based charging lab will bolster the capability of its fleet of chargers by providing a manner in which to test various models of EV, and then diagnose and resolve software problems whenever a customer reports an issue on the network.

This should, in theory, improve the Gridserve network’s “first-time success rate of charging connections”, as well as ensure the highest possible charging speeds for all customers.

A Gridserve spokesperson told Auto Express that “well-known manufacturers have already used the facilities to best understand their models' charging performances”. The firm also has its very own fleet of EVs with which to test things like charging curves.

Moreover, Gridserve’s Chief Technology Officer, Pete Bishop, restated the value of such a facility, explaining how “the speed, ease of use and prevalence of High Power DC charging has become an important factor in the rapid adoption of electric vehicles across the UK”.

Bishop continued, saying: “the reliability of networks like the Gridserve Electric Highway is critical to solidifying consumer confidence.”

Increased reliability of the UK’s charging network is fundamental to the gradual electrification of our roads. At the time of writing there are, according to ZapMap, just over 64,000 public chargers across the UK – far short of the government’s plan to install 300,000 by 2030.

For that reason, the speed and reliability of public charging stations are paramount to building consumer confidence in EVs and keeping Britain moving.

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