ONE of the largest electric vehicle charging hubs in the north has opened in York – almost a year late.

The Monks Cross Hyperhub, located next to the park and ride site, contains 38 charge points.

The hub will not charge for electricity “for a limited time”, City of York Council said, to encourage residents and visitors to use the facility.

Deputy leader, Coun Andy D’Agorne, said it would “help to reduce emissions and improve York’s air quality”, supporting the city’s ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030.

The project, a partnership with EvoEnergy, has been hit by delays, with the original opening date set for July last year.

The council blamed delays in finalising commercial and contractual arrangements and said there had been no additional cost as a result.

Council chiefs said last month that problems dealing with utility companies and in connecting the hub to the National Grid also played their part.

A second hub at Poppleton is set to open in the summer.

Monks Cross features four 175kW ultra-rapid chargers (which can be upgraded to 350kW when vehicle charging rates make that worthwhile), four 50kW rapid chargers, with an adjacent area having 30 7kW chargers for park and ride users.

The ultra-rapid chargers can give many of the latest electric vehicles 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. The 7KW chargers are designed to allow drivers to charge over longer periods of time if they are using the park and ride or shopping nearby.

The charge points do not require a minimum spend and can be paid for using contactless methods.

The hub also has a solar canopy which allows the site to generate its own renewable energy which can be stored in the Tesla Powerpack batteries at the charging hub, helping to reinforce the grid.

The council said 80 per cent of the £2.2 million HyperHubs project was funded through external sources.

Council leader Coun Keith Aspden said: “The new Hyperhubs not only offer sustainability, convenience and speed but are also one the cheapest places in the UK for rapid and ultra rapid charging (25 pence per kWh).

“Our electric vehicle charging strategy and work with EvoEnergy are key to the success of this project. The Hyperhubs are just the latest part of city wide work to support more sustainable travel and our efforts to make York cleaner and greener.”

Jonathan Roper, senior design engineer at EvoEnergy added: “The York HyperHubs, with elements such as rapid and ultra-rapid chargers, solar energy generation and battery storage, act as a technology showcase. 

“Combined with GridBeyond’s management of the battery for participation in grid balancing services, the sites actually help to strengthen the electricity grid and will allow the latest electric vehicles – and the next generation of EVs – to charge in a hassle-free way, helping to reduce emissions from road transport in York.”