Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) garden at Hyde Hall has boosted its sustainable credentials with the launch of new electric vehicle chargers. Located in the Essex countryside near Chelmsford,
Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) garden at Hyde Hall has boosted its sustainable credentials with the launch of new electric vehicle chargers.
Located in the Essex countryside near Chelmsford, RHS Hyde Hall has introduced 16 EV charging bays, including both fast (up to 22kW) and rapid (up to 50kW) chargers, for the garden’s 400,000-plus annual visitors.
The new facilities went live on Friday 23 January 23 and the launch is being marked by a week-long free charging event for visitors from Monday 9 February to Sunday 15 February.
The chargers are part of a wider sustainability initiative to install 90 charge points across all five RHS gardens, delivered in partnership with Raw Charging.
Malcolm Anderson, head of sustainability at the RHS, said: “By installing 90 EV charging bays across our five iconic gardens, we are making it easier for our visitors to enjoy their time with us whilst reducing the carbon emissions associated with travel by private car. This complements our ongoing work on increasing accessibility to our gardens via active travel and public transport.”
The fast chargers – which allow most EVs to fully charge in four to five hours – are seen as ideal for the average visit length to RHS Hyde Hall. Rapid chargers provide added flexibility, offering a full charge in as little as one to two hours for those making a shorter stop. All chargers feature contactless payment options and can also be operated via a dedicated app.
The latest installation aligns with Raw Charging’s Connecting Amazing Places campaign, spanning charger installations in a range of sites including those operated by the RHS, the National Trust and Merlin Entertainments, such as Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventure.
Jason Simpson, CEO of Raw, said: “Offering seamless EV charging is now a must for best-in-class heritage and leisure locations which need to provide sustainable, convenient and cost-effective charging options to the growing number of electric vehicles on the road today.”
To charge for free during the launch period, customers must sign up to Raw Rewards via the website: rawcharging.com/rewards. Free charging is only available via the ChargePoint App and not via contactless payment.
