UK-based Gridserve has bold ambitions to build and run more than 100 so-called Electric Forecourts across the country. Powered by clean solar energy, the plan is for a rapid charging network offering up charging speeds of up to 350kW with the first going online later this year. Now, Japanese tech investment giant, Hitachi Capital, has thrown its weight behind the project.

The partnership between Hitachi Capital and Gridserve will focus specifically on the development of advanced solar energy – including the installation of new solar farms – to power Gridserve's Electric Forecourts. With somewhere north of £6 million already invested in Gridserve through funding schemes like Innovate UK, the new partnership with Hitachi Capital will enable it to maintain the momentum it has built up behind its Electric Forecourt project.

Key projects that will get closer to a reality thanks to the injection of cash include solar farms in Gloucestershire and Lincolnshire, as well as the solar installation delivering power to Gridserve's inaugural site which is under construction near Braintree, Essex. The new solar farms are a key part of laying the groundwork for further Electric Forecourts in other parts of the country, bringing that ultra-fast charging capability for up to 24 vehicles simultaneously touted for the site in Essex.

Gridserve and Hitachi's partnership isn't just about developing solar power for EV charging locations; an existing project is seeing them work together on the electrification of the UK bus network and other green energy projects.

Toddington Harper, CEO of Gridserve Sustainable Energy Ltd, said: “Our strategic partnership with Hitachi Capital marks a major milestone in Gridserve’s journey. As well as providing significant financial backing to accelerate our ability to deliver sustainable energy and meet net zero carbon emission targets in the earliest possible timeframes, Hitachi Capital has an unrivalled wealth of experience, knowledge, resources, and expertise to support our collective success. We look forward to launching our first Electric Forecourt together in a few months, and delivering many additional projects over the next few years.”

You can read about the first Electric Forecourt in Essex, as well as our exclusive interview with Gridserve, here.

Robert Gordon, CEO of Hitachi Capital (UK) PLC, said: “We’re delighted to form a pioneering partnership with an innovative and market leading sustainable energy business, which will revolutionise the UK’s motoring landscape and accelerate the transition to vehicle electrification.

“The response to the current pandemic has highlighted the impact of carbon emissions on the environment. We now have a real opportunity, through flagship programmes like this, to create the infrastructure needed to fast-track electric vehicle adoption across the UK and meet the Government’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2050. Creating a greener, cleaner society.”