Motorway services operator Extra has significantly increased the number of EV chargers offered at its flagship Cobham services on the M25, having signed a deal with Ionity for new points.
Cobham, located between J9 and J10 on the south-west section of the orbital motorway, is the UK’s busiest MSA with almost 1,000 parking spaces and a two-storey main amenity building. The services also plays host the country’s largest petrol station, a Shell forecourt with 36 pumps.
Given such scale, Extra seems to have felt that its EV offerings needed a boost, agreeing to install six new Ionity devices, bringing the total number to 24 - one of the larger EV hubs in the country. The upgrade follows a 2023 improvement that saw 12 new Ionity points installed, while the 24 Ionity devices are in addition Gridserve’s presence at Cobham Services.
Chargepoint firm Ionity, launched in 2017, is a joint venture between BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes, and the Volkswagen Group of brands.
Commenting on the half-dozen new ultra-rapid chargers, Ionity’s country manager for the UK and Ireland, Andrea Atkins, says her firm has partnered with Extra MSA for “many years”, and the presence of 24 chargers at Cobham “shows customer demand for more sustainable travel”.
Tom Dobson, Extra MSA Group’s chief executive, comments: “We know that we have a part to play in driving forward the net zero agenda and making continued strides to expand our EV charging provision”, and that his firm looks forward to “continuing to work with Ionity and other partners”.
