Aldi and B&M shoppers at Gateway Centre Oldham get ultra-rapid EV charging hub in £1m deal with Be.EV

Gateway Centre Oldham has received a new ultra-rapid EV charging hub, in a £1 million deal with Manchester-based Be.EV.

Switched on and ready for use, the site is home to 16 ultra-rapid charging bays, making it one of the largest ultra-rapid EV charging locations in Greater Manchester. 

The Gateway Centre shoppers will benefit from a charging experience while browsing the shops that are within a one minute walk, including Aldi and B&M Home Stores. Drivers can also monitor their charge level from their mobile whilst doing their shopping through a QR code.

The retail park sees an average of 27,000 cars pass by every day, and with only six other ultra-rapid EV chargers within two miles of the site, the hub is pitched as a welcome addition for commuters travelling through Greater Manchester.

Currently the local community only has access to 25 EV chargers, meaning the 120,000 Oldham residents will also benefit from the charging site’s convenient location just off Chadderton Way and less than a mile from the city centre. 

The 70,000 square foot site is equipped with Kempower chargers that feature unique load balancing abilities.

These can intelligently distribute energy supply between vehicles according to capacity and demand - meaning if one car reaches the maximum amount of power on one charger, any residual energy supply can be reassigned to another vehicle connected on-site. 

The technology, commissioned and maintained by Vital EV, is capable of delivering up to 150kW - fast enough to add 125 miles of range in a 15 minute stop. 

This rate of charge is more fitting to the dwell time of shoppers, who don’t stick around for the eight hours it takes for a 7kW fast charger to fill a typical EV. 

Be.EV CEO Asif Ghafoor says: “We are putting significant investment into Oldham. These Kempower chargers are really cutting-edge, and unlike lamppost chargers we’ll still be using these in 20 years or more.”  

“It’s a charging hub that responds to the needs of shoppers and the community - take a look at the future of EV charging. With drivers able to browse the nearby shops whilst their vehicle is plugged in, this site offers so much more than just functional, fast charging.”

“It shows how with the help of private partners we can spur the transition to electric vehicles and clean our cities up.”