The largest ultra-rapid EV charging hub in the South West has opened this week – a 16-bay dedicated EV re-charging location at Salmon’s Leap, Buckfastleigh on the A38 Devon Expressway.
The 1.6 acre site, owned and developed by Osprey Charging, has been setup to serve the high volumes of seasonal traffic expected in Devon each summer, and provide local residents and businesses with reliable EV infrastructure.
The car park has been re-designed specifically for EV charging, with the 16 high-power charge points, each capable of 300kW of charging, compatible with every rapid-charging vehicle on the market. Drivers using the facility can reportedly add 100 miles of range in just 15-25 minutes. There are two extra-long bays for towing vehicles and extra-wide bays for full disabled access.
Further developments are planned for the site – a farm shop from Strawberry Fields will open soon, alongside a coffee shop, offering homemade produce and meals.
Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said:
“I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Salmon’s Leap. We purchased the land so have been able to precisely design the space and install hardware that maximises availability and ease of use of chargers for all types of vehicles and drivers. Our largest site yet, it is a significant milestone for the Osprey team as we work tirelessly to ensure that our nationwide infrastructure deployment of rapid EV charging stations continues at an unprecedented pace.”
The charging network has had a busy start to the year, having opened 142 new rapid EV charging stations in 10 weeks, equalling the total number of chargers installed during 2022.
EV uptake continues to increase across the country, ahead of the 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicles. Over a fifth of new vehicles registered in the UK so far this year are electric, which follows a 38% increase in sales in 2022 compared with the previous year.
