Gridserve has completed a multi-million-pound infrastructure upgrade at Knutsford Services to bring high-power EV charging to the motorway site.
The facility, located between Junctions 18 and 19 of the M6, now includes 12 ultra-rapid charging bays on the northbound side, and another 12 bays southbound.
These are each supported by 350kW- and 360kW-capable chargers that can deliver up to 100 miles of range in under 10 minutes for compatible EVs.
Knutsford Services is heavily used but its ability to host ultra-rapid EV charging was constrained by limited local power availability.
As part of the two-year project, Gridserve’s contract engineers drilled beneath the M6 to route the new high-voltage cabling required to support the current requirements of EV drivers.
Gridserve also collaborated with key partners across the government, National Highways, the region’s Distribution Network Operator (DNO), Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) and Moto.
Funding from the government’s Green Recovery Fund enabled Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN), the area’s DNO, to install a new primary substation at the edge of the services.
Gridserve then designed, funded and built the internal power network needed to bring that energy to both sides of the Motorway Service Area – including the last-mile IDNO intake sub-stations and drilling a series of boreholes beneath eight lanes of the M6 to channel high-voltage cabling.
Daniel Kunkel, CEO of Gridserve, said, “Knutsford Services is a clear demonstration of Gridserve’s leadership and technical capability in delivering ‘on the go’ ultra-rapid charging.
“We’re committed to building critical EV infrastructure that is super-fast, reliable and convenient – not just where it’s easy to install, but where drivers need it most.”
