The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway

The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway

In June 2021, GRIDSERVE took over the Electric Highway, a network of chargers located at the UK’s motorway service stations, creating the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway. The network also includes all of GRIDSERVE’s UK-wide chargers, which now cover 85% of the motorway network, plus towns and cities across the country. Read the official press release. 

GRIDSERVE has already upgraded chargers at over 150 sites across the UK. Next up is a new programme delivering more than 50 high-powered Electric Hubs, with between six and12 of the latest ultra-rapid 350kW chargers at each service station across the UK motorway network.

GRIDSERVE’s purpose is to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change, and the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway – a network of easy-to-use, reliable, rapid and high power chargers right across the UK – is doing just that, eliminating charging anxiety and making driving electric an enjoyable, ultra-convenient and stress-free experience. 

Toddington Harper, GRIDSERVE CEO

How to use the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway

Step 1

• When you get to a service station with a GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charger, pull up and plug in before activating the charger. This will mean that the chargepoint will recognise your car and communicate with it, in order to understand the maximum charge and maximum speed of charge it can handle.

Step 2

• Then you just need to tap your contactless debit or credit card, or Apple or Google Pay app, and wait for the beep that indicates the start of charging. The screen will display the time of your charging session, the real-time status of your car’s battery and the amount of energy your car’s battery is receiving.
• To facilitate contactless payment, GRIDSERVE temporarily reserves a fee from your bank account, which is known as a ‘pre-authorisation’ or ‘holding fee’. Currently the fee is £20 along the Electric Highway or £25 at Rugby MOTO services and is returned after your charging session has completed.
• It’s worth noting that said reimbursement can sometimes take up to 24-hours to show up on your mobile banking app, but you can always view your statement on a computer for the most up-to-date information.

Step 3

• When you do decide to end your charging session, return to your vehicle and press the stop button on the touchscreen. You can then disconnect the charging connector from your car and return to its holster. Do not press the emergency stop button to terminate your charging session, unless there is a genuine emergency.
• You can request a digital receipt by either scanning the QR code on the chargepoint or by visiting GRIDSERVE.com/receipt. Apple or Google pay users can manage their receipts by contacting the customer service team

How long will it take to charge my electric car uisng a GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charger?

• How long it takes to charge your electric car will depend on the size of your car’s battery, the speed of the charger and the car’s ability to accept this charge.

Check out our useful guide on Charging speeds explained for more info. 

How to find your nearest GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charge station

Simply head over to our interactive map and find the location of a charge point near you. 

How much does GRIDSERVE Electric Highway cost to use?

• All chargers on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charge on a price per kWh of energy used basis. The price to charge at Electric Hubs is 30p per kW – enabling a typical EV to add 200 miles of range for as little as £15.

You can read more about how much it costs to charge your electric car in our handy EV charging costs explained guide. 

How do I pay at GRIDSERVE Electric Highway charge point?

• You don’t need to join a membership scheme to charge at a GRIDSERVE Electric Highway unit. To pay for your charge, you merely need to use any contactless debit or credit bank card: VISA, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay and Google Pay are all accepted at the charging point.

What are the benefits of using the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway?

• Apart from some of the lowest prices of any charging network, the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway also offers drivers peace of mind that the energy powering their cars is truly green.
• All chargers operated by GRIDSERVE are supported by net zero solar energy, delivered by its ‘sun-to-wheel’ infrastructure – a network of grid-scale hybrid solar farms that ensure that every kilowatt taken from the grid by the EV charging infrastructure is netted off against zero-carbon kilowatts of solar energy put back into the grid.

What speeds are the chargers on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway?

• There are rapid and high-power charging options, along with 350 kW chargers capable of delivering 100 miles of range in just five minutes. It will take a few more years before most EVs can charge that quickly, with the fastest charging vehicles today taking around 10 minutes to add around 100 miles.
• The latest generation rapid chargers is also available across the network, with power ranging from 60kW to 180kW: in practice, this means 80-240 miles of range in 20 minutes.

Can two cars charge at the same time?

• Part of the upgrade to existing chargers on the motorway network is the ability for units to charge two cars at the same time.