The chargers installed by InstaVolt are manufactured by American company ChargePoint. The latest model, the ChargePoint Express Plus, enables electric vehicle drivers to top up their EV batteries in 30 minutes or less and incorporates a 10-inch interactive LCD touchscreen, accompanied by a 20-inch wide-format LED display that notifies drivers of station availability and status. The modular and scalable system is also ‘future-proofed’ in that it is capable of meeting the requirements of next-generation EV models, having been designed specifically to cater for vehicles with increasingly larger batteries.
Drivers don’t need a membership card or a subscription but simply tap their contactless credit or debit card and start charging. InstaVolt installed the charger for free and will continue to maintain and upgrade it on the same basis, making its money instead from the sale of electricity at 35 pence per kilowatt hour. The company works with other organisations across Devon, utilising the same business model, including Mid Devon District Council.
The charging station was officially opened by the Mayor of Bideford Dermot McGeough and has been in place for about three weeks. According to Tim Blight, Director of Blights Motors, the charger is being used every day, sometimes with several vehicles in attendance and on other days just one. However, although it is still early days yet, this shows there is already a demand for it.
“Being in the automotive business, we’re seeing a rise in popularity of electric cars and we’re delighted to be able to cater for EV drivers with this rapid charger” said Blight. “It’s available for anyone to drop by and use 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”
Tim Payne, CEO of InstaVolt, added that Bideford was previously somewhat of a ‘blackspot’ for rapid DC charging but that now drivers will be able to pull into Blights Motors and add hundreds of miles of range in minutes.
Image: Bideford Mayor Dermot McGeough (left) with Tim Blight from Blights Motors (Photo by Graham Hobbs, Bideford, 22nd Jan 2018)
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