A FLAGSHIP charging centre for electric vehicles - originally due to open on York’s outskirts in July - is still fenced off and closed following delays in connecting it to the electricity grid.

Council officials said yesterday that they were still finalising commercial and contractual arrangements before the York HyperHub at Monks Cross could open later this year.

The complex, situated at the entrance to the Monks Cross Park&Ride car park, will be one of the largest charging hubs in Northern England and will aim to act as a demonstration of best practice for the design of EV charging facilities.

York Press: Empty bays at the hub, where up to 30 vehicles can be charged at any one time when the centre opens Picture: Mike Laycock

It will be able to charge up to 38 electric vehicles at any one time, including four which can be attached to ultra rapid chargers giving them 100 miles worth of power in just 10 minutes.

Thirty vehicles can also be left to charge up on lower speed chargers while their drivers take a Park&Ride bus into York city centre or shop at Monks Cross.

The hub also has a solar canopy which will allow the site to generate its own renewable energy which can be stored in batteries, helping to reinforce the grid.

Senior councillors, council officers and journalists were due to attend the opening of the hub on July 27 but, just five days beforehand, the event was postponed "due to a delay in the electricity/grid connection".

Neil Ferris, corporate director of place at City of York Council, said yesterday that the construction of the Hyperhub was complete and the authority was "really excited to soon be able to offer one of the largest charging hubs in Northern England".

He said: “There is a slight delay to our originally planned completion date and we’re just finalising our commercial and contractual arrangements, before it officially opens later this year.” He stressed that there was no additional cost as a result of the delay.

York Press: Behind fencing: the empty bays at the hub where up to 30 vehicles can be charged at any one time, once it opens Picture:Mike Laycock

A council spokeswoman said the unique project was the result of a partnership between the authority and EvoEnergy.

“In addition to the Monks Cross HyperHub, a second HyperHub is also opening next to the Poppleton Bar Park&Ride site, and a third site is opening near the city centre in 2022,” she said.

“The ultra-rapid and rapid chargers are user-friendly for EV drivers thanks to contactless payment. Cars and vans can access the chargers, and the facility has been designed with no kerbs to allow disabled access.

“Protection from the weather is provided by the solar canopy and all of the electricity supplied from the National Grid is generated by renewable sources.”

The Government is planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030, as it targets a reduction in carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, and a huge new infrastructure will be needed to power the electric vehicles that replace them.

Energy giant Shell recently revealed plans to install 50,000 charging points across the UK by 2025 as part of a push to make more available to drivers without private parking. More than 60 per cent of households in city and urban areas are estimated not to have off-street parking.