Skip advert
Advertisement

Gridserve to scale back Electric Highway exclusivity rights to encourage competition

The operator of the Electric Highway charging network will scale back its exclusivity rights at service areas, following industry watchdog investigation

Gridserve Swansea

Gridserve, which purchased the Electric Highway charging network from Ecotricity in 2021, has agreed to legally binding commitments with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) following an investigation into the network’s dominance over electric-car charging points at UK motorway service areas.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The industry watchdog raised concerns in July 2021 about Electric Highway operating close to 80% of charging points across the UK’s motorways (excluding Tesla Superchargers). The network also held 10-15 year exclusivity agreements with services operators Moto, Roadchef and Extra MSA, which cover around two-thirds of the UK’s rest areas.

The CMA investigated Gridserve to ascertain whether these long-term exclusivity agreements were in breach of the Competition Act 1998. The investigation concluded without a decision on whether the Act had been breached. Instead, Gridserve has agreed not to enforce exclusive rights in these contracts after November 2026. 

Gridserve Swansea

It has also committed to reducing the length of the exclusive rights in its current contracts with MOTO by roughly two years and Roadchef by roughly four years. Gridserve’s contract with the third operator, Extra MSA, is due to end in 2026 anyway.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Gridserve will also not enforce exclusive rights at any Extra, MOTO or Roadchef site if a competitor is granted funding by the UK government’s Rapid Charging Fund (RCF) to install charging points at one of those locations.

Advertisement - Article continues below

This £950 million fund aims to future-proof Britain’s motorway network for the rapidly increasing number of electric cars, particularly as the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel models approaches. 

The CMA says that without these commitments, the Electric Highway’s exclusivity rights at the vast majority of motorway service areas would have prevented widespread take-up of the RCF, further stifling competition.

Electric Highway chargers

Ann Pope, the CMA’s senior director of antitrust, said regarding Gridserve’s new commitments: “We need a combination of investment now and healthy competition going forward to make sure charging points are installed at scale where people need them, for a fair price.

“Today’s commitments strike the right balance. Gridserve will continue to invest in the much-needed roll-out of charging points across the country, but the exclusivity linked to its investment won’t be an undue barrier to others competing in the near future.”

In an open letter Pope penned to both charging network and service-area operators, she reiterated the negative effects exclusive rights can have on investment and competition for electric-car charging points.

After taking over the Electric Highway in June 2021, Gridserve announced plans to build 50 'Electric Hubs' featuring 350kW ultra-rapid chargers, as well as 100 'Electric Forecourts' modelled on the company's flagship location in Braintree, Essex. These will be located across the UK’s motorway network, with the project expected to attract over £100m of investment.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Welcome one and all, I’m Ellis the news reporter on Auto Express, the brand’s former online reviews editor and contributor to DrivingElectric. I’m proud to say I cut my teeth reporting and reviewing all things EV as the content editor on DrivingElectric. I joined the team while completing my master’s degree in automotive journalism at Coventry University and since then I’ve driven just about every electric car and hybrid I could get my hands on.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

The UK’s fastest electric car charger is live, but it’s too fast for most EVs
Hyundai Ioniq 5 connected to Park Garages' hyper-rapid charger
News

The UK’s fastest electric car charger is live, but it’s too fast for most EVs

12 Sep 2024
Tethered or untethered home charger?
BMW i3 wallbox
Your questions answered

Tethered or untethered home charger?

20 Aug 2024
UK EV charging network grows by 47 per cent this year
EV public charging point
News

UK EV charging network grows by 47 per cent this year

30 Jul 2024
Gridserve’s new lab aims to boost electric car charging point reliability
Gridserve laboratory
News

Gridserve’s new lab aims to boost electric car charging point reliability

24 Jul 2024

Most Popular

​Top 9 best small electric SUVs 2024
DrivingElectric best small SUVs
Best cars

​Top 9 best small electric SUVs 2024

Small electric SUVs are steadily increasing in popularity thanks to low running costs, practicality and more choice. We run down the best ones for 202…
2 Oct 2024
Where can I buy hydrogen and where is my nearest hydrogen filling station?
hydrogen filling station
Your questions answered

Where can I buy hydrogen and where is my nearest hydrogen filling station?

A guide to where you can find hydrogen fuel stations in the UK
30 Sep 2024
Top 10 best plug-in hybrid SUVs 2024
Best Plug-in Hybrid SUV
Best cars

Top 10 best plug-in hybrid SUVs 2024

Not ready to go electric but want low running costs? These plug-in hybrid SUVs offer the best of both worlds
26 Sep 2024