Osprey opens London electric-car charging hub

The new Croydon location features six charging points capable of speeds up to 175kW and is one of 150 new sites Osprey plans to open

Osprey Charging

The Osprey (formerly known as Engenie) electric-car charging network has opened its first rapid-charging hub in London, as part of a major expansion plan that includes the construction of 150 new high-powered charging hubs around the UK.

Located in Purley Cross Retail Park, Croydon, the site features six rapid-charging points capable of speeds between 75 and 175kW. Plug in an electric car that can be topped up at 175kW or faster, and you’ll add up to 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes.

The Croydon hub is the second of the 150 Osprey plans to open, following the first in Wolverhampton (pictured below) that went live in November 2021. Both are part of a £75 million project that'll see up to 12 150-175kW chargers installed at each of the planned locations, eventually totalling 1,500 individual units.

Construction is already underway at a further eight sites in Banbury (on the M40), Suffolk (on the A14), Essex (on the A127), Glasgow (on the M8), East Lothian (on the A1), Birmingham (on the M6), Crewe (on the A534) and Brackley (on the A43). The full complement of 150 hubs is set to take four years to finish.

Commenting on the opening, Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: "Our new hub in Croydon – one of the most powerful of its kind in the city – will give current and future EV drivers in London access to reliable and convenient charging. Our nationwide hubs rollout will see large-scale charging infrastructure deployed rapidly, at the scale required to serve the mass market of EV drivers hitting Britain’s roads in the coming years.”

According to Osprey, all of the 150 planned locations will be "conveniently located on A-roads and motorways, near food and drink amenities". Sites in the first batch are adjacent to major retailers, including Costa Coffee, Lidl, Aldi, Pizza Hut, KFC and Curry’s PC World.

The Wolverhampton site was the first in the UK to use charger optimisation technology from Kempower, with the rest of the Osprey sites soon following suit. The company says this technology will allow "every vehicle to charge at its maximum rate throughout its entire charging cycle, without impacting other vehicles". It does this by optimising grid connections, meaning more chargers can be installed per site than traditional chargers, without a need for more power.

Recommended

Complete guide to BP Pulse (formerly BP Chargemaster) home chargers
BP pulse
Your questions answered

Complete guide to BP Pulse (formerly BP Chargemaster) home chargers

10 May 2023
Complete guide to the Source London charging network
Source London
Your questions answered

Complete guide to the Source London charging network

28 Apr 2023
Complete guide to the Ubitricity charging network
Ubitricity
Your questions answered

Complete guide to the Ubitricity charging network

28 Apr 2023
Tesla Supercharger network: complete guide to Tesla charging stations
Tesla Superchargers
Your questions answered

Tesla Supercharger network: complete guide to Tesla charging stations

4 Apr 2023

Most Popular

Tesla Model 3 facelift will be a double-edged sword
Tesla badge
News

Tesla Model 3 facelift will be a double-edged sword

Tesla’s updated EV will have an improved interior, greater range and a more affordable price – as well as one unfortunate drawback
1 Jun 2023
Vauxhall Astra Electric: price, range and video
Vauxhall Astra Electric
News

Vauxhall Astra Electric: price, range and video

The new Astra Electric shares its parts with the Peugeot e-308, with first deliveries due soon
31 May 2023
Volkswagen ID.3 review
Volkswagen ID.3 facelift - front 1
In-depth reviews

Volkswagen ID.3 review

The recently updated Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback is vastly improved inside, but the fiddly infotainment system remains
2 Jun 2023