THRINGS MEETS ...
Thrings Meets ... GRIDSERVE Technologies
Sustainable energy firm GRIDSERVE Technologies is best known for operating the Electric Highway , a series of electric vehicle ( EV ) charging hubs across the UK .
Last year , the firm won the ‘ Flying the Flag for Swindon & Wiltshire ’ Techies Award . The Techies were sponsored by Thrings and included Kate Westbrook , Partner and Head of Commercial , on the judging panel .
We caught up with Pete Bishop , Chief Technology Officer at GRIDSERVE ( pictured below ) to find out how the company has developed since its big Techies Award win .
It ’ s been a year since you opened GRIDSERVE Innovation and Operations Centre in Swindon . How have things progressed ? The GRIDSERVE Innovation and Operations Centre ( GIOC ) has gone from strength to strength . GRIDSERVE is registering more charging sessions each month . The work at GIOC has been increasing the first-time success rate of charging sessions .
It also means GRIDSERVE can be quicker to resolve issues . When customers report an issue on the network , work conducted at GIOC means GRIDSERVE can work faster to test the reported issue , find a solution , test the solution and apply it to the network .
What have you been working on since your Techies win ? GRIDSERVE has become the first charge point operator to open a dedicated EV charging test lab , based at the GRIDSERVE Innovation and Operations Centre . It features a mix of high-power and medium-power EV chargers , with enough space to trial multiple EV charging bay configurations .
Since opening , GRIDSERVE Technologies engineers have conducted thousands of hours of functionality and interoperability testing between chargers and a huge variety of electric vehicles , including cars , motorcycles , trucks and pre-production prototypes from some of the best-known automotive brands .
The company is also rigorously examining charger hardware components including power cabinets , battery energy storage systems ( BESS ), as well as software and firmware to identify continuous network improvements .
Freight transport is a large contributor to global CO2 emissions . What work are you doing in this area ? By 2040 , all new HGVs will be zero emission . Ahead of this deadline , GRIDSERVE is leading a £ 100 million + consortium ( including £ 62.7 million of UK Government support ) to lay the foundations for one of the biggest and most advanced charging networks designed specifically for electric Heavy Goods Vehicles ( eHGVs ).
This industry-leading project , funded as part of the Department for Transport and Innovate UK-backed Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstrator programme , will be known as ‘ Electric Freightway ’ and will run until 2030 .
The on-site EV charging test lab is also suitable for eHGVs . Given the importance of eHGV charging infrastructure for the country ’ s industrial strategy , and the nascent nature of electric HGVs , the industry will need to constantly appraise existing charging technology , design new solutions and test robustly . More information can be found at :
www . gridserve . com / electric-freightway /
What ’ s GRIDSERVE ’ s ambition ? GRIDSERVE ’ s purpose is to deliver sustainable energy on the scale needed to move the needle on climate change . We want to make the move to EV easy for all drivers by giving them confidence that whenever they go , they can find reliable and easy charging . GRIDSERVE now delivers over 200,000 charging sessions a month at over 190 locations with over 1,400 bays . We are ambitious to continue increasing these numbers and delivering the world ’ s best EV charging experience .
What are the biggest challenges ? While the EV industry is a relatively new one , a lack of common standards and interoperability between different systems can often lead to unsatisfactory experiences for EV drivers when using the public charging network . It ’ s something that all charge point operators are working on in collaboration via ChargeUK , but it is hoped that the research conducted by GRIDSERVE Technologies will be able to inform industry best practice .
Do you have key partnerships that drive your work forward ? On the charging side , the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway works with partners like Moto , Roadchef , Dobbies and Mollies to offer different charging solutions to match the needs of their visitors .
At the GRIDSERVE Innovation and Operations Centre , well-known manufacturers have already used the facilities to best understand their models charging performances such as testing the initial ‘ handshake ’ and monitoring charging curves .
How are you continuing to ‘ Fly the Flag for the South West ’? Having the GRIDSERVE Innovation and Operations Centre in Swindon is great for the South West . The work being undertaken in Swindon has a positive impact on the charging experience across the UK and further .
If you could share one message with TBE readers , what would it be ? Make the switch to EV now !
Thrings is headline sponsor for the inaugural TBE Awards and category sponsor of the Flying the Flag for the South West Award . The competition is open until Friday 6th September .
Awards Night will be one of the biggest dates in the South West business calendar and one not to miss . Get your tickets and find out more at : www . tbeawards . co . uk
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