Turning old petrol stations over to EV chargepoints is something of a dream for environmentalists, but that dream became reality once more this week with the opening of a new charging hub called the Manchester Charging Oasis.
The site, in Failsworth to the north east of the city centre, ceased trading as a petrol station 15 years ago, and has now been reopened as a “green community hub for residents”, according to Be.EV, which runs the site. The Oasis follows two other prominent sites switching from petrol to electric, with Shell and BP switching converting two London sites in recent years – though BP has since slowed its EV chargepoint plans.
A dozen EV charging bays now sit where fuel pumps once resided at the Manchester Oasis, with one of these earmarked for large electric vehicles and two for drivers with disabilities. Other notable details include the chargers being capable of delivering electricity at up to 300kW, the on-site Caffè Nero Express featuring solar panels on its roof, and the top layer of bitumen being made from recycled tyres.
An estimated 26,000 commuters pass the site each day, and with 3.4% of UK vehicles running solely on batteries, that equates to 936 EV drivers heading by the hub every 24 hours.
The charging bays are arranged around the circumference of the oval site, with four waiting bays in the centre for when all plugs are occupied. And occupied they are likely to be, with a price of just 1p per kiloWatt hour on Saturday, June 21 to mark the site’s opening.
Once that celebration day is done, electricity at the new hub will still undercut many rival charging firms’ prices, at 55p per kWh during the day and just 25p per kWh from 7pm-9am.
