One of the UK’s largest public EV charging operators has announced a major investment to future-proof drivers from sudden cost hikes, as seen with the Iran war and the fuel price crisis.
InstaVolt has confirmed a £2.5million investment into five new battery energy storage systems (BESS) sites, with a further 20 expected before the end of the year.
These systems will help protect the company and its customers from rising grid prices and connection delays.
While the Government recently confirmed that it would be slashing red tape to make it easier for businesses to install EV chargers, InstaVolt has gone further with a huge step change in its infrastructure strategy.
Each of the five sites that have already gone live with the new battery energy storage system represents an investment of around £500,000.
These include Hadfer Ltd at Bwch Moch Cafe, National Co-op at 311 Lower Addiscombe Road, Burney Group at Harwich 2, BNP Paribas at Northampton Williams Way and Three Trees Farm Shop and Cafe – all of which opened in March and April this year.
InstaVolt’s new BESS sites join three existing operational sites at Winchester and Corley North and South, which have helped to inform the design of future sites.
The chargepoint operator outlined that the developments would address escalating network demand and grid connection delays, which have held back the deployment of rapid charging infrastructure across the UK.
InstaVolt has transformed five of its charging sites to run on battery energy storage systems to slash costs for drivers
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To avoid these issues, the batteries charge overnight on cheaper energy and discharge during daytime peaks, allowing drivers to pay less for their charging.
Delvin Lane, CEO of InstaVolt, explained that battery storage was “one of the most powerful tools we have”, allowing them to deploy chargers faster and in a cost-effective manner.
He said: “That saving goes to the consumer. When you factor in standing charges, VAT, and the full weight of infrastructure costs, passing savings on to drivers is not the easy option. It is the right one, and it is what we are committed to doing.”
InstaVolt will continue with the impressive rollout of the battery technology in Wisbech, Knutsford, Cheltenham, Blyth, Stockton-on-Tees, Penrith, York, and Thirsk, all of which are already confirmed for the following financial year.
Each EV charging site conversion costs around £500,000
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The technology could also be revolutionary for sites where grid connections would be limited, including on motorways and in rural locations.
It will allow InstaVolt to operate the chargers at a high speed, while supplementing the grid supply for the benefit of any electric vehicle owner passing through the site.
In March alone, the chargepoint operator’s Winchester Superhub generated 42,000kWh of solar generation, contributing zero-cost power to the network.
Around nine-tenths of all energy sold was between 7am and 8pm, although 89 per cent of energy purchased from the grid was during off-peak hours.
InstaVolt plans to roll out the technology for 20 further sites this year
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InstaVolt plans to introduce a reduced rate of 70p per kWh for electric car owners from the summer, which will be backed by a larger proportion of solar generation.
The announcement comes as the UK reaches a major milestone with the installation of more than 120,000 public electric vehicle chargers, in addition to more than one million home and workplace chargers.
Dr Andy Palmer, founder and CEO of Palmer Energy Technologies, said: “The grid connection problem is real and it isn’t going away quickly. What InstaVolt has understood is that you don’t have to wait for it to be solved centrally before you invest.
“Store cheap overnight power in batteries, draw it down during peak hours, pass the saving to the driver. That’s not complicated, it’s just disciplined infrastructure thinking.”