Electric vehicles are a focal point of the UK’s move to Net Zero and charging is a fundamental part of the electric driving and ownership experience.
From rainwater capture and farm to fork produce, to 100 per cent solar powered renewable energy, we’ve rounded up the most environmentally friendly EV charging destinations across the UK.
Are any of them near where you live?
Dundee could become the greenest city in Europe, and its many innovative EV charging hubs are a big contribution to this potential title
1. Dundee’s biodiverse charging hubs and hydration station
A two in one: Dundee City Council is on a mission to become the greenest city in Europe, with two new sustainable charging hubs unveiled in 2023.
Work is currently underway on SSE Myrekirk roundabout – ‘Scotland’s most powerful charging hub’ – which will feature 24 ultra-rapid chargers (some capable of delivering 60 miles of range in just three minutes).
The project will feature a green roof with sedum plants to ‘enhance biodiversity (providing habitats for insects and birds) and filter air pollutants.’ A sister-site the other side of the city is likely to be built with old wind turbine blades repurposed by Scottish company ReBlade.
Dundee Council’s also just opened a (partially solar powered) fourth charging hub, but this time with a hydrational twist – a state-of-the-art rainwater to drinking water filtration system.
Clepington Road caters for 61 vehicles with two Envevo 50kW rapid chargers and three 7kw slow chargers.
And some of the energy comes from sustainable second life battery storage units – utilising old EV batteries that can power 13.5 charging sessions a day, using stored solar or off-peak energy.
But it’s the world-first rainwater harvesting technology from Bluewater sustainably unique.
A canopy roof is fitted with an award-winning water filtration system, capturing rainwater and filtering it through a solar-powered purifying system for drivers to fill their re-usable bottles and quench their thirst.
The EV chargers at Tebay Services in Cumbria sit on a 1,000 acre farm, with 150kw ultra-rapid chargers coming later this year
2. Tebay Services farm-to-fork EV experience
A little different to the others on this list, Tebay services is not a dedicated EV charging court, or a typical service station.
Tebay Services in Cumbria was opened in 1972 by farm owners John and Barbara Dunning when the M6 motorway was built through their farm.
Since then, the awards have rolled in and Tebay South became the first five-star motorway service area in the UK.
Already kitted out with 12 EV charging bays northbound and four southbound, this year Tebay is launching its own 150kw ultra rapid chargers top your EV up in around 20 minutes or less.
It’s one of the most beautiful places to charge your EV in Britain. And because of its farm anchoring, its also one of the most naturally sustainable.
The Farmshop and Kitchen meat comes from the Tebay’s High Chapel farm on either side of the services, where their beef herd and lamb flocks graze.
You can get locally-sourced produce and farm to fork food while you charge and walk around the biodiverse landscape
All parts of the services – from the Westmorland Hotel to the Kitchen and independent Farmshop – sell locally produced foods, crafts and clothes and use locally sourced ingredients.
Tebay works with more than 70 local producers from within 30 miles.
Tebay’s farm manager uses ‘traditional methods of animal husbandry that improve the biodiversity, natural habitats and soil health on the farmland.’
Tebay says its dedicated to improving soil structure, fertility and water-retaining properties as well as the ‘regeneration of traditional hay meadows and moorland and planting trees to improve habitats for birds and wildlife’.
Gridserve’s Braintree EV Forecourt was the first of its kind in the world and set a precedent for a zero emissions charging experience
3. Gridserve Braintree Zero Emissions EV Forecourt
The world’s first-ever electric forecourt opened in Braintree, Essex just before Christmas 2022 with the slogan ‘Recharge your batteries’.
Focused on the driver leaving feeling as recharged as their car, it’s complete with superfast Wi-Fi, a Costa café, a WHSmith, four office pods, exercise bikes (which power the forecourt), showers and a play area for kids.
Since Braintree opened, Gridserve has opened another EV Forecourt in Norwich and one at London Gatwick Airport. 10 others are under construction or in planning currently, all with the same level of sustainability. Every KWh used across the entire Gridserve network is replaced with net zero energy.
The Braintree site alone has 12 rapid chargers, 12 fast charges, six slow chargers and six Tesla super chargers.
Sustainably though, it’s at the forefront of the EV charging industry and is one of the greenest places you can charge in the UK.
It’s powered exclusively by renewable energy and has a giant battery on site that harvests energy during off-peak times to support the wider network.
All solar powered – Gridserve uses only renewable energy across all its sites to achieve its ambitious net zero targets
And Gridserve’s zero emission journey is all encompassing. From wastage minimising modular construction techniques, to vegetable oil powered generators and rainwater flushing loos – while you’re charging your EV, Gridserve is using incredibly innovative techniques to achieve its ambitious net zero targets.
Its also committed to ensuring minimum 10 per cent net gain in biodiversity at all Electric Forecourt sites’.
Perennials are planted to attract pollinators, an attenuation pond for amphibians and a sustainable drainage system – Gridserve wants to restore biodiversity as well as top up your batteries.
Shell Recharge in Fulham, London, is the first is Shell’s sustainable dedicated V charging hubs
4. Shell Recharge Fulham – London’s sustainability first
Urban sustainable EV charging came in the form of Shell Recharge on Fulham Road in West London. It opened in 2022 replacing the old petrol station.
The ultra-rapid chargers are part of Shell Recharge’s first dedicated EV charging hub in the UK, offering 10 175kW chargers that can take most electric car batteries from 0 to 80 per cent charge in less than 20 minutes.
Similar to Gridserve, the short wait while charging is made much easier with the onsite Costa and Little Waitrose, seating area and free Wi-Fi.
The hub itself is powered by eco energy: The solar panels on the timber canopy supply the chargers with 100 per cent certified renewable electricity through the Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme.
And it’s built with eco-friendly materials: the canopy is made up of sheets of timber glued together which takes less energy to produce than steel.
The shop front is double-glazed and the store uses energy reduction management systems to be six per cent more energy efficient across lighting, refrigeration, heating and aircon.
And every time a customer goes to the toilet the Propelair loos save 6.5-litres of water per flush.
Fastned has committed to offering 100% renewable superfast charging at all its destinations
5. Fastned sunshine charging hubs
Recently crowned the most dependable charge operator in Britain, European charging giant Fastned is proving a hit on home soil.
Fastned won a 4.3 rating out of 5, with its bright yellow-canopied sites proving a hit with owners from Scotland down to Sandwich on the south-east coast.
Currently Fastned has 90 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers but this expanded by 50 per cent in 2023 alone.
And Fastned prides itself on 100% renewable superfast charging.
Fastned is one of the smaller en-route charging operators in Britain currently, but it is expanding. Drivers rated the network highly for its reliability – in terms of devices working on arrival – and its straight-forward pay-as-you-go system
In 2022 Fastned’s network of fast charging stations ‘contributed to avoiding the mission of 40,750 tonnes of CO2 by selling 51.9GWh of renewable energy to electric vehicle drivers’.
Fastned is pursuing the CO2 Performance Ladder certification – a Dutch certification that is also used as a CO2 management tool. Its sustainability map is publicly available online with everything from CO2 reduction targets to calculations and reporting.
