First of two Milton Keynes community charging hubs opens

Milton Keynes Council has opened one of two new planned electric car charging community hubs at Saxon Gate with rapid charging spots.

The hub is designed for electric vehicle owners and businesses who don’t have available off-street charging. A second hub located in Stony Stratford will open at a later date.

Three 7kW charge posts can serve up to six vehicles in dedicated parking bays. The hub also provides three new 50kW rapid chargers, each with its own bay where users can charge at rapid speeds. Next year wireless charging will also be added.

The hub at Saxon Court is one of two new planned hubs and is part of the Milton Keynes Go Ultra Low City Scheme (GULCS), created using funding from the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV). The scheme also set up the Electric Vehicle Experience Centre in Centre:MK.

The Saxon Gate Community Hub will also host an electric vehicle car club operated by Enterprise Car Club with five new Nissan Leafs based at the hub. The car club will provide electric vehicles that can be rented by the hour or day, with 24/7 access all year round.

The hubs are being set up for MK Council by an eFIS led consortium which includes BP Pulse, Enterprise Car Club, University of Warwick and Arup.

Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Sustainability, Cllr Jennifer Wilson-Marklew, said: “This is yet another fantastic project which will make life easier for those people with electric vehicles and those thinking about getting one. We’re serious about tackling climate issues in MK and will continue investing in projects like these to make a real difference.”

Dan Gursel, managing director of Enterprise Car Club, added: “We are delighted to be part of the first Milton Keynes Community Charging Hub. The hub means users can rest assured that they can recharge vehicles quickly when they need to and be confident driving an electric vehicle.”