Maxol, the Irish fuel and service forecourt company, has said that it is about to start rolling out high-speed electric car charging hubs. As part of the €2.5 million investment, 12 charging points will be shared between Maxol's 'destination' stores at Maxol Newbridge in Kildare and Maxol Ballycoolin in Dublin.
Six 200kW chargers each
Each site will get six 200kW high-speed DC chargers, which Maxol claims can top up an EV in as little as 15 minutes (depending, of course, on the available power supply and the charging speed of the car itself).
Brian Donaldson, Maxol's CEO, has confirmed that there are plans afoot for another 20 such sites but that it is not the easiest process to get such rapid charging hubs up and running. "While our strategy is to offer EV charging in areas where we see greatest demand, the speed at which we can roll out our EV transition programme is hugely frustrating. Access to power capacity and the time it takes to connect to the grid are ongoing challenges with no immediate improvements in sight. The process is not aided by the high costs for substation and connection fees to establish these much-needed hubs both in ROI and NI," said Donaldson.
€225m investment over ten years
"However, EV charging and new and alternative fuels are all part of the future and we have invested €225m in the last ten years to future proof the business in preparation for the transition to EV mobility, ensuring our sites remain relevant to our growing customer base and are fit for purpose. Customers will seek out service stations where they can have a meal or a coffee, catch up on emails or take 15 minutes in comfortable surroundings while they charge their vehicle. Maxol in its 104 years has always been innovative in its approach and is committed to supporting the move to EV with full facility service stations that meet all our customers' needs."
Reduces the carbon footprint of each site
Maxol claims that the installation of its charging hubs isn't just a matter of lobbing in some charging units - in fact, the hubs are said to reduce the overall carbon footprint of each site by some 40 per cent, thanks to the installation of solar panels, low energy CO2 refrigeration systems, exhaust air-heat pump technology to reduce heating loads and an energy management system to monitor and control the overall energy usage on the site.
The Newbridge hub will open in March, while the Ballycoolin hub will follow along in May. Those will join Maxol's existing high-speed charger sites in Northern Ireland - one in Ballymena and one in Holywood, just outside Belfast. The company says that it's also pursuing other avenues to reduce its carbon footprint, including the roll-out of HVO (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil) diesel and other low-carbon fuels.