ChargePoint to deploy 200 of its ‘up to 400 kW’ electric vehicle charging stations in the UK

We were excitted when ChargePoint unveiled its latest charging station technology earlier this year. It’s a modular system called Express Plus and it can enable a record-breaking charge rate of up to 400 kW.

The only problem is that ChargePoint doesn’t operate its own charging stations. Therefore, in order for those to get deployed, other companies need to buy them and operate them.

Well, the company announced today the first major deployment of those stations as InstaVolt in the UK announced that they signed a contract to purchase “more than 200 ChargePoint rapid charge systems.”

The news comes just 2 months after Daimler led a $82 million investment in ChargePoint to expand in Europe.

Those new stations will be deployed around highways in the UK. ChargePoint wrote in a press release:

“The UK market itself is at an inflection point. There are more than 90,000 EVs on the road today but this could reach 1.2 million by 2020 according to the Department for Transport. However, one of the major driver concerns currently is the frequency of charging points and the ability to charge vehicles on long journeys. In response to this, ChargePoint’s Express Plus solutions will be installed by InstaVolt close to popular routes across the UK, enabling drivers to easily charge their vehicles during long journeys.”

Tim Payne, CEO at InstaVolt, said about the announcement:

“We are delighted to partner with ChargePoint to deliver a best in class EV charging infrastructure. We own, install and maintain rapid electric vehicle charging units all over the country, giving landowners the opportunity to earn a rental income by housing them, and giving EV drivers access to the fastest charging available. ChargePoint will fulfil two important criteria for us: the charging units are future-proofed so the units can be configured to meet the precise requirements of any site and can be scaled incrementally as demand for higher rate charging increases. This is particularly important as EV manufacturers begin to bring out new models with increased battery capacity. We are also committed to making sure the units are working 24/7 and so the reliability of the ChargePoint solution is one of the cornerstones of our offer.”

As Payne explained, the stations will be able to scale with the availability of EVs in the UK. While the Express Plus can go up to 400 kW charge rate, their modular design enables station operators to install only the basic with a lower 125 kW charge rate and upgrade as electric cars with higher capacities are introduced.

Here are a few examples of configurations:

It should come as a great news for UK electric vehicle drivers and those who hope to be in the near future. Along with Tesla’s Supercharger network, it is the most important fast-charging station deployment in the country.