AN electric vehicle charging hub which will be one of the largest in the north of England is now set to open in the spring – at least nine months later than first expected.

The Hyperhub at Monks Cross, which will be able to charge up to 38 cars at any one time, was originally meant to open last July.

A “delay in the electricity/grid connection” was blamed at the time.

Council bosses said in September that the authority was “just finalising” commercial and contractual arrangements for the hub, adding that it would officially open later in the year.

But the complex, situated at the entrance to the Monks Cross Park&Ride car park, is still not fully up and running.

Once open, four vehicles will be able to attach to ultra rapid chargers, giving them 100 miles worth of power in just 10 minutes.

The Labour group’s deputy leader Claire Douglas asked for an update on the scheme during a meeting of the economy and place scrutiny committee on Thursday.

The council’s director of environment, transport and planning, James Gilchrist, said: “We’ve had some issues between ourselves, a third party and utility companies, but we hope for those to be on within the next sort of two months – they should be powered up and good to go.”

York Press: Hyperhub

A solar canopy will provide protection from the weather and all of the electricity supplied from the National Grid will be generated by renewable sources.

The Hyperhub project is the result of a partnership between the authority and EvoEnergy. 

The council is investing £2.2 million to develop the Monks Cross site and another at Poppleton Bar Park&Ride. The authority has contributed £400,000 to the schemes, with the rest made up by grant funding.

The council wants York to be at the forefront of electric vehicle technology as the government is planning to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030.