Pivot Power, part of EDF Renewable Energyhas announced the opening of Energy Superhub Oxford, which it calls “Europe’s most powerful charging point for electric EVs”. The new facility features ten 300 kW fastned Ultrasnelle chargers who can add a range of 300 miles in just 20 minutes. Those chargers are equipped with the now known roofs that one Fastned trademark†
There are also 12 250 kW Tesla Superchargers and 20 Level 2 EV chargers with power up to 22 kW supplied by Wenea and installed by ODS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oxford City Council. If you think that level 2 chargers have no room in a fast -charging hub, consider this. It is located next to the Redbridge Park and Ride center where people can leave their car for a few hours while taking public transport to London. They can avoid traffic jams and come back to Oxford to find their cars charged and ready for the drive home.
National EV charging infrastructure
The Oxford project is part of a national network of Energy Superhubs, developed by Pivot Power, which will combine net-linked batteries and power infrastructure for charging EVs to make more renewable energy sources possible and to speed up the carbon-free transport. It will be powered entirely by renewable energy. It has 10 MW of installed power on site, enough for up to 400 Level 3 and Level 2 chargers in the future.
Trudy Harrison MP, Minister of Decarbonization of Transport, said: “Electric vehicles are an important part of our strategy to make transport low-carbon, so I am pleased that Europe’s most powerful EV-charging hub in Oxford is being opened. Both the government and the industry will be opened. , who work together, invest billions in these types of projects to help deliver the infrastructure to support the electric revolution in the UK and the increasing sale of EVs. This will in turn help make the transport carbon armer, to create highly qualified jobs and offer cleaner air in the UK. “
Oxford has set itself the goal of being net zero by 2040. Part of it includes delivering infrastructure for the Zero Emission Zone, a plan that imposes reimbursements on non-electric vehicles that enter the central zone of the city. In contrast to other British charging points, the site is directly connected to the high -voltage transmission network of National Grid via an underground cable of four miles. It will supply 10 MW power to charge hundreds of EVs at the same time without extra burdening the local electricity network or requiring expensive upgrades. A substation has already been installed at Oxford Bus Company’s Watlington Road depot to support that company’s plans to introduce more than 100 electric buses over the next two years.
As part of the project, Energy Superhub Oxford has also supported the decarbonization of the maintenance vehicles of Oxford City Council, managed by ODS. In total, Energy Superhub Oxford has contributed nearly £900,000 to purchase 40 EVs, including cars, vans, sweepers, tippers and the city’s first all-electric garbage truck.
Energy Superhub Oxford will provide cities around the world with a blueprint to scale up green transportation, power and heating simultaneously. Pivot Power’s £41 million urban decarbonisation project, funded in part by the UK government, will enable significant emissions reductions for electricity, heat and transport. It will reduce local carbon dioxide emissions by 10,000 tons per year, equivalent to taking more than 2,000 cars off the road. In 2032 that will amount to 25,000 tons.
Pivot Power Hybrid Battery System
The Energy Superhub Oxford marks the debut of the Pivot Power hybrid battery system, which will form the basis for local and national clean energy systems that support the transition from the UK to a carbon -free energy system. The battery system stores renewable energy in times of high supply and will offer much needed flexibility to the British Net as renewable energy scales up. When necessary, the battery discharges to ensure a safe and reliable power supply throughout the day.
The system combines a 2MW/5MWH vanadium current battery from Invinity Energy Systems with a 50MW/50MWh lithium-ion battery from a global technology company Wärtsilä to deliver an innovative energy storage solution that can balance the intermittent nature of renewable energy. The system is checked and managed by Wärtsilä’s Gems Digital Energy Platform and optimized by Habitat Energy’s AI-controlled energy trading system.
Pivot Power plans to roll out up to 40 Energy Superhubs in the UK, with the next two projects already underway in Coventry and Sandwell. When completed, the grid could provide nearly 10% of the energy storage the UK is expected to need by 2035. Oxford is demonstrating how ambitious local councils can accelerate their net-zero plans through its commitment to the Energy Superhub.
Energy Superhub Oxford has also supported the installation of more than 60 geothermal heat pumps for public housing in Oxford. These will help reduce dependence on fossil fuel heating. Residents who have already received ground source heat pumps in Oxford have reported savings in operating costs of more than 50%. The project also demonstrates the use of remote control to determine the times when renewable energy is most abundant and low-carbon. This approach will lower the future electricity accounts, since heat pump installations will scale up from thousands to millions in the coming ten years.
Alderman Imogen Thomas, member of the Oxford City Council, says: “Oxford has a history of ambitious when we look at new and exciting transport approaches in our city. Redbridge was the site of the country’s first fully running Park & Ride in 1973, and now, nearly 50 years later, we are home to Europe’s most powerful electric vehicle charging station. To reach a Zero Carbon Oxford by 2040, we need to boost the use of electric vehicles, and drivers want to know that they can charge their vehicles quickly and efficiently. Completing Energy Superhub Oxford is an exciting step for our city and the future of electric vehicle charging.”
The takeaway
The Oxford Energy Superhub is about many more than a few powerful EV charging stations. It is an example of an entire community changing its attitude to how people interact with their environment. It is a sign that a new era of clean energy and low-carbon thinking has begun and is spreading. Such a change in mentality would have been unthinkable ten years ago. In ten years, people will look back on this and realize that it is a moment when change happened. That makes this announcement so exciting.
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