The petrol station substitute? Everything that you must learn about Britain’s new largest electrical automotive charging forecourt
- The 160kW charging hub on the A34 uses clean energy and is full of amenities
The nation’s largest electric car charging forecourt opened last week allowing 44 EVs to boost their batteries simultaneously.
Officially opened on 25 March, InstaVolt’s Superhub is located off the A34 near Winchester and hints at what motorway service stations could look like in the future following the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.
Powered entirely by renewable energy sourced from an on-site solar farm, its 160kW devices can charge an EV’s battery to 80 per cent in 20 minutes.
The operator says the enormous site, located on the busy junction near the A34 and M3, has been designed to blend in sympathetically with the surroundings of the historic city of Winchester while also offering amenities drivers have come to expect from a motorway-style service station.
‘The Winchester Superhub isn’t just a charging hub – it’s a flagship site that sets a new standard for ultra-rapid EV charging,’ said Delvin Lane, chief executive of InstaVolt.
‘As our largest and most advanced site to date, it delivers industry-leading reliability at an unprecedented scale, ensuring drivers can charge quickly and with confidence.’
InstaVolt has opened the UK’s largest ultra-rapid charging hub on the A34 near Winchester. It has 44 bays powered by clean energy to charge (many) EVs up to 80% in less than 20 minutes
How to charge at InstaVolt’s ultra-rapid Superhub
The Superhub’s 44 bays – more than Gridserve’s 33-bay offering at Gatwick Airport at the previous biggest EV charging site – can charge an EV of speeds of 160kW.
This includes models like the Kia EV6, Peugeot e-3008 and Tesla Model 3, all of which can all charge up to 80 per cent in under 20 minutes using one of the devices.
The charging points offer contactless payments, meaning no connection charges or subscriptions.
EV owners can pull up, plug in and tap their payment card to start the charging. As with a pay-at-pump setup at a conventional fuel station, once you’ve filled up with what you need, you can stop the charging session and you’ll be charged for the electricity you’ve used.
InstaVolt also has a smartphone app that lets users to keep track of how much battery charge their EV has accumulated while they’ve stepped away from the car for a coffee or toilet break.
There’s no membership fee for the app but it does allow motorists to accrue ‘Volts’ credits, which can be redeemed towards free charging. It also provides information about exclusive offers and discounts on food and drinks inside its dedicated service station area.
How much does it cost to charge?
Ultra-rapid charging is the most expensive way to charge an electric car. This is because these devices add the most miles of range to an EV battery in the shortest period of time.
These ultra-rapid chargers are considered vital for the motorway network to provide convenience for those embarking on longer journeys in their EVs.
However, this comes at a premium price.
InstaVolt’s 0.85p per kWh – a flat rate across the network for peak and off-peak times – is significantly more than charging costs away from the motorway network.
However, you can significantly reduce costs by charging at off-peak times using the InstaVolt app, which provides a discounted rate of 54p/kWh between 8pm and 7am.
And the Winchester superhub offers an exclusive 50p/kWh off-peak tariff from 7pm to 7am for app customers to take advantage of from 1 April; this is possible thanks to the on-site solar panels.
EV owners can charge at any of the 44 bays up to 160kW speeds and only have to tap a contactless card to pay. There’s no need to download a smartphone application or sign up – though using the InstaVolt app will help bring costs down significantly
The 0.85p/kWh flat rate puts InstaVolt about level with Gridserve’s ultra-rapid pricing (between 79p and 85p/kWh for contactless charging) but makes it more expensive than Fastned’s 74p/kWh flat rate.
Gridserve’s app discount gives loyal users a flat rate fee of 79p/kWH but no extra discounts for off-peak times. Fastned offers ‘Gold Membership’ which gives you 30 per cent off tariffs for £9.99 a month.
Compared to the average cost of ultra-rapid charging, InstaVolt’s flat rate is more expensive: the AA’s EV Recharge report for February found the average price per kWH is 78p for 150kW+ charging speeds. This means the typical cost to charge an EV to 80 per cent is £31.20 (or 17.63p per mile).
The average off-peak ultra-rapid tariff was 47p/kWh while peak rates were 65p/kWh.
Petrol, at 139.80p per litre, cost £44.74 for an equivalent tank but only 12.22p per mile on the other hand.
It is also, as expected, much more expensive to ultra-rapid charge at a hub like InstaVolt’s Superhub than to charge at home (the least expensive way to charge an EV).
The Recharge Report found that domestic charging of speeds up to 7kW cost 25p/kWh on average – just £10 to get to 80 per cent charge (or 5.65p per mile).
That said, drivers of petrol and diesel cars who fill up at motorway services already pay a big premium on fuel prices.
Motorway service stations commonly charge 20p per litre more than a local fuel forecourt.
Crucially the bays are designed in line with Government disability guidelines so disabled customers and larger vehicles can fit in the bays and charge without access issues
How the Superhub uses renewable energy that gets EV drivers discounted rates
Winchester is InstaVolt’s first Superhub to integrate an on-site (500kW) solar farm and battery storage technology which reduces reliance on the grid as well as allowing sites to built without draining the grid of energy at the same time.
The farm’s 870 solar panels use a mix of solar energy, battery storage and renewable grid power in an advanced energy model that not only provides the ultra-rapid charging capacity with either renewable grid energy or self-generated solar power, but doubles down on InstaVolt’s commitment to sustainability.
Importantly, it also means that customers can take advantage of cheaper peak tariff prices.
The Winchester Superhub offers 50p off-peak tariff charging from 7pm to 7am, due to the onsite solar panels and battery storage from 1 April.
While only available for app customers, you don’t have to pay a fee for membership, so anyone can save the money by downloading the app.
InstaVolt’s Superhub is open 24/7 and is equipped with constant LED lighting, state-of-the-art security and around-the-clock loo facilities so people can charge at all times of day and night
There’s a Starbucks open from 7am to 7pm where you can grab a bite to eat, a hot drink or work while your car charges
There’s also a play area for kids and a dog walking site with waste disposal so all members of the family (furry or otherwise!) can be entertained
The Superhub that’s eco and disability-friendly – plus you can pick up a Starbucks!
Not only does the hub aim to make charging as easy as it is for drivers to fill up with petrol, it’s designed to make it as enjoyable as possible.
Open 24/7 with around-the-clock toilet facilities, there’s also a children’s play park, a dog-walking area, and a Starbucks Cafe (open 6am for the early risers and until 7pm for the evening caffeine hit).
Particularly impressively, InstaVolt has made sure that the drive-through bays cater for disabled drivers and owners of larger vehicles – key groups that are usually overlooked in the transition to electric.
In fact, the Winchester Superhub has been designed to PAS 1899:2022 standards – these are government guidelines that provide direction on the physical environment, placement and provision of chargers to make it caters to those with disabilities.
And with some members of the driving public concerns about safety at charging hubs, the forecourt’s low-level LEDs make this a well-lit location, which is also monitored by state-of-the-art CCTV and security services watching over the forecourt 24 hours a day.
How the Superhub uses renewable energy – and you can get a discounted rates
Winchester is InstaVolt’s first Superhub to integrate an on-site (500kW)solar farm and battery storage technology which reduces reliance on the grid as well as allowing sites to built without draining the grid of energy at the same time.
The farm’s 870 solar panels use a mix of solar energy, battery storage and renewable grid power in an advanced energy model that not only provides the ultra-rapid charging capacity with either renewable grid energy or self-generated solar power, but doubles down on InstaVolt’s commitment to sustainability.
Importantly, it also means that customers can take advantage of cheaper peak tariff prices.
The Winchester Superhub offers 50p off-peak tariff charging from 7pm to 7am, due to the onsite solar panels and battery storage from 1 April.
While only available for app customers, you don’t have to pay a fee for membership, so anyone can save the money by downloading the app.
Three in five charging sessions using the public network in the UK are rapid or ultra-rapid speeds. InstaVolt is using its solar panels, battery storage and clean energy to cut peak prices for app customers
Rapid charging is more in demand than ever
InstaVolt’s new Superhub is opening at a crucial time for electric car ownership.
New data from Zapmap, the UK’s leading EV charge point mapping service, has revealed that over two million charging sessions are taking place on Britain’s public network each month.
And nearly 60 per cent of these sessions use rapid or ultra-rapid chargers with a power rating of 50kW or higher – like those at the Superhub.
Based on last year’s charging report, the EV peak was seen in the summer on the first Friday after the majority of schools in England broke up for the summer holidays.
Last year, 66,621 charging events happened on that Friday (2 August 2024).
With the A34 near Winchester used by 110,000 vehicles per day – and particularly busy by the junction with the M3 – the Superhub will be ideally situated to cater for this surge in charging demand.
