Osprey Charging has opened the largest ultra-rapid EV charging hub in the South West.
The company, which has its headquarters in London, has opened a 16-bay dedicated EV re-charging location at Salmon's Leap, Buckfastleigh on the A38 Devon Expressway.
The flagship 1.6 acre site will serve the high volumes of seasonal traffic expected in Devon this summer. It will also provide local residents, businesses and visitors with a reliable EV infrastructure, helping to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and support local decarbonisation efforts.
Salmon’s Leap is Osprey’s first land acquisition. The car park has been re-designed specifically for EV charging: there are two extra-long bays for towing vehicles, extra-wide bays for full disabled access.
Read more: From a shared office in Bournemouth to Number 10, via Dragons' Den - the rise of Gener8
The 16 high-power charge points at the hub are compatible with every rapid-charging vehicle on the market. Each is capable of 300kW charging for vehicles able to accept this high power, without wasting any power on lower-capability cars thanks to the latest innovative load-balancing technology.
Strawberry Fields farm shop opens on-site soon, offering a range of their own homemade and homegrown produce and many of their own bakery items and fresh ready meals. This will be alongside a coffee shop with plenty of their homemade ‘food to go’ options.
The site is accessible from both the Plymouth-bound and Exeter-bound carriageways of the A38. A planning application is underway for a service-station style canopy, "to further enhance the site".
Ian Johnston, chief executive of Osprey Charging, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Salmon’s Leap. We purchased the land so have been able to precisely design the space and install hardware that maximises availability and ease of use of chargers for all types of vehicles and drivers. Our largest site yet, it is a significant milestone for the Osprey team as we work tirelessly to ensure that our nationwide infrastructure deployment of rapid EV charging stations continues at an unprecedented pace.”
Osprey installed as many chargers in the first quarter of this year as it did during the whole of 2022. From January to March this year, 142 new rapid Osprey EV charging stations went live in 10 weeks, equalling the number of charge points installed throughout 2022.
Read next:
Owner of Jaguar Land Rover to base huge car battery plant in Somerset - report
Severn Trent says big players should have acted faster over pouring raw sewage into our seas
Plans for retirement homes and leisure hub on former Bristol school site recommended for refusal
South West cities dominate PwC’s Good Growth for Cities Index top five
Like this story? Why not sign up to get the latest South West business news straight to your inbox.
