Gridserve has crunched the numbers to predict where the busiest hubs are likely to be across its charging network ahead of the Easter getaway.

Gridserve is working with Tesla and Moto to trial on-hand support at the UK’s busiest charging site, Moto Rugby Services, over Easter

An estimated 20 million drivers are forecast to hit the roads this Easter on their way to visit family, friends and holiday hotspots – with EV drivers alone expected to drive around 35 million miles between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

And charging specialist Gridserve, which runs the Electric Highway and its Electric Forecourts, says motorway services are predicted to be 20% busier than usual.

Following last year’s Christmas charging chaos on some networks – which saw drivers face length delays – Gridserve is working to help minimise wait times for drivers using the Electric Highway.

It’s advised drivers that the busiest time to charge will be at midday, across the Gridserve Electric Highway on average.

By comparison, 10am and 4pm will be much quieter – around 15% less busy than peak. And charging times will drop dramatically before 8am or after 6pm.

Gridserve has also warned that its busiest sites will be popular regardless of the time of day – and suggested that drivers passing these locations plot an alternative route to less in-demand sites in advance.

Drivers can also use the Gridserve map to check live availability and to find their nearest charger.

Gridserve is also working alongside Tesla and Moto to trial on-hand support at the UK’s busiest charging site, Moto Rugby Services, on Good Friday (7 April), Saturday (8 April) and Easter Monday (10 April).

Three attendants will be on site between 10am and 6pm, controlling entry to the charging area and monitoring those using the Tesla Superchargers and the Electric Highway. They’ll manage and monitor arrival of drivers to minimise wait times and prevent queue jumping.

Gridserve will also be keeping an eye out across the entire network, using its analytics team to monitor the health of chargers remotely to catch any issues as early as possible.

It’s also urged drivers to do their bit to charge considerately too.

Tips include:

• Don’t block bays if you’re not charging and don’t overstay longer than you need.
• Remember that charging power will slow after 80% thanks to your car’s charging curve, which means by trying to add those few extra miles you could be stopping someone else from connecting. It’s better to head off and recharge later if you can, when you’ll be able to top up faster.
• Choose your charger wisely – you might not necessarily need a high-power charger if you’ve got a little longer to stop, while those with CCS connectors are asked to use CCS-only chargers first so CHAdeMo customers can still gain access.
• And finally, communicate with your fellow EV drivers (and even leave notes on your windscreen). If a site is particularly busy, then speak to other drivers to understand who’s next and avoid jumping the queue.

Top 10 busiest Electric Super Hubs (350kW-capable high-power chargers):

Top 10 busiest Electric Hubs (dual-charging medium-power chargers):