Energy infrastructure expert, SSE Energy Solutions, is installing Scotland’s most powerful electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in Dundee.
SSE branded charging station. Image Credit: SSE Energy Solutions
The Myrekirk roundabout site will feature a total of 24 ultra-rapid charging bays with a total capacity of almost two and a half megawatts.
Eight of the bays will be powered by 360-kilowatt charge units, capable of delivering up to 60 miles of range in just three minutes, believed to be the first publicly accessible hub anywhere in Scotland to feature charge units this powerful.
The remaining 16 bays will feature 150-kilowatt charge units, sufficient to deliver just under 8 miles of range per minute of charging to a standard family car. Additionally, the project will feature a green roof populated with sedum plants to enhance the biodiversity of the site. Green roofs provide habitats for insects and birds and help to filter pollutants out of the air.
The Myrekirk roundabout ultra-rapid EV charging hub is one of two being installed by SSE in Dundee, with construction of a second hub in the city’s Kingsway West area awaiting full planning permission.
The Kingsway West hub will feature 8 charging bays with 150-kilowatt charge units and will also feature curb-less charging areas to ensure accessibility for all.
In what would be a UK first, SSE is exploring the option to install, subject to planning permission, canopies for the Kingsway West hub fashioned from old wind turbine blades. The blades are being repurposed by Scottish company, ReBlade, whose design is patent pending, and SSE anticipates fitting more such canopies on future EV charging hubs.
SSE plans to build 500 ultra-rapid EV charging hubs powered by traceable, renewable energy in the UK and Ireland by 2030 with several sites already under construction. The first hub, at Castlebank in Glasgow, opened in September of last year.
Data provided by the electric vehicle and charging point platform Zapmap shows that as of the 1st of April there were 40,150 public electric vehicle charging devices installed in the UK, an increase of 33% in a year. However, concerns remain that charging infrastructure is not keeping pace with electric vehicle sales.
Kevin Welstead, EV Sector Director at SSE Energy Solutions, said: “The City of Dundee has shown great commitment to installing EV charging infrastructure and we want to support that development by giving drivers and fleet owners easy access to reliable and fast charging facilities.
“The Myrekirk hub represents our gold standard, a design we want to replicate across the country.
"With EV sales growing exponentially they are going to take up a significant proportion of our country’s total electricity demand over the coming years and at SSE we are investing to respond to that need, delivering innovative solutions such as these new hubs in Dundee.”
Fiona Lindsay, Managing Director of ReBlade, said: “SSE’s vision for a circular, sustainable innovation is very much aligned with our own, so it’s fantastic to be working with them to pioneer the use of old wind turbine blades in public realm infrastructure.
“This is a ground-breaking project that demonstrates how practical circular uses can be found for turbine blade waste as it starts to come down in volume, and it’s exciting to be part of a global first in evidencing the circular potential of blades.”
Heliox is a market leader in rapid charging solutions whose technology will be installed as part of the charging infrastructure located at the Myrekirk roundabout hub. The company’s Senior Business Development Manager, Lee Johnson, said: “Our partnership with SSE to support the transition to EVs is extremely important. The launch of this hub is a positive step for the EV market, not just in Dundee but the UK and the rest of Europe. It will make it easier for EV drivers to charge their vehicles in the cities and will help to encourage more people to switch to EVs.”
Source: https://www.sseenergysolutions.co.uk/