New Gridserve test site aims to boost charger reliability

Charging network Gridserve has opened a new test laboratory dedicated to improve the reliability of the UK’s EV network.

The firm is the UK’s first charge point operator to open a dedicated charging test lab, which aims to test existing charging infrastructure to its limits as well as explore new ways to improve the EV charging experience.

Based at the Gridserve Innovation and Operations Centre in Swindon, the new EV charging test lab features a mix of high power and medium power EV chargers, with enough space to trial multiple charging bay configurations.

Pete Bishop, chief technology officer at Gridserve Technologies, said: “The speed, ease of use and prevalence of high power DC charging has become an important factor in the rapid adoption of electric vehicles across the UK, and the reliability of networks like the Gridserve Electric Highway is critical to solidifying consumer confidence.”

Since the lab opened, Gridserve’s 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.

Rebecca Trebble, chief customer experience officer for Gridserve, said: “Gridserve is a customer-obsessed organisation and this bespoke facility shows our commitment to making EV easy. Whether it’s to improve existing operations, or invite collaboration and trial exciting new features, we will continue to enhance and improve the EV charging experience for all our customers.”