A cableless, fully wireless EV charging forecourt has been launched by Novuna Vehicle Solutions, one of the UK’s largest fleet leasing providers with a fleet of over 100,000 vehicles, 30% of which are now pure electric.
The charging infrastructure at Novuna Vehicle Solutions’ premises in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, features 12 AC charging bays that can deliver up to 22 kW of power to fully charge an average EV with a 50kWh battery equipped with a 11kW onboard charger in under five hours. A separate car park on site with four DC rapid charging bays delivers up to 100kW of power to fully charge a vehicle in under one hour.
Electricity at the forecourt, which enables 16 electric vehicles to be charged simultaneously, is generated from a solar canopy over the 12 AC bays combined with a grid connection, enabling an estimated 70% of the energy consumed for employee charging to be sourced from Novuna’s own renewable generation. A 180kWh battery storage facility onsite equipped with an energy management system enables storage of unused solar generated energy, allowing the use of peak-saving trickle charging, delivering lower CO2 emissions.
The forecourt features charging pads across each of the parking bays, designed to accommodate cars and vans as well as accessibility bays.
The installation is intended both as a charging facility for Novuna Vehicle Solutions’ vehicles and as a showcase for the charging hardware technology available for fleets at their own depot and workplace sites.
A key element of the installation includes the introduction of a charge point management system and associated driver app, My Novuna Charging, enabling Novuna Vehicle Solutions to manage both its own charging network and its customer’s charge points. The system, which will also give fleet drivers access to other corporate, private and public networks in the near future, provides a real time view of charging events and energy consumption alongside remote hardware maintenance for fleets.
Jon Lawes, managing director of Novuna Vehicle Solutions, said: “The opening of our groundbreaking EV charging forecourt represents a major milestone not only for Novuna vehicle Solutions but for the entire contract hire and leasing industry.
“Our flagship charging facility in Trowbridge truly showcases, for the first time, the breadth of our unique end-to-end charging capability and the energy management solutions we can offer to fleet customers right across the EV charging ecosystem helping them to future proof their business operations.
“As a leading advocate for zero-emission vehicles, the launch of our sustainable state of the art EV forecourt also underlines our commitment as a company to carbon neutrality as one of the largest and greenest charging facilities in Wiltshire.”
Ian Plummer, commercial director of Autotrader, added: “As fleets accelerate their transition to electric vehicles, installing workplace charging is a fundamental component of their decarbonisation strategy in order to achieve their net zero ambitions.
“I’m delighted to see the future of EV charging for the UK’s contract hire and leasing industry brought to life for the first time by Novuna Vehicle Solutions. Addressing commercial EV fleet charging requirements must go hand-in-hand with realising complete electrification for businesses as they continue to lead the charge towards zero-emission road transport.”
