European rapid charging company Fastned has opened Scotland’s first ultra-rapid charging station in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire.  

The new station was officially opened by Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth

Officially opened by Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth, the station is situated in the Palace Grounds Retail Park and has eight 300kW ultra-rapid chargers, supplied by 100% renewable energy and housed under Fastned’s distinctive canopy design to keep drivers dry.

Each is capable of adding up to 186 miles (300km) of range to compatible fully electric cars in 15 minutes. 

The new station is Fastned’s latest in Scotland and tenth in the UK.   

Tom Hurst, Fastned’s UK country and network development manager says the facility “will bring fast, reliable and easily accessible charging to the area”.  

The facility was part-funded by the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme, supported through the European Regional Development Programme.  

Opening the new facilities, Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth welcomed the work by Fastned on its Scottish installation programme, which matches the Government’s aims to boost availability of charge points in Scotland by encouraging greater investment from the private sector.   

She added: “Through our Draft Vision for Scotland’s public electric vehicle charging network, we’ve outlined that public and private sector partnerships will be key in attracting investment and scaling provision at pace. This new station from Fastned, with its striking design and powered by renewable energy, is a fantastic example of what can be delivered by industry. “

Gilruth continued: “Companies like Fastned will have an increasingly important role to play in delivering our Net Zero ambition – bringing their expertise, resources, skills and investment. Its hub in Hamilton is a fantastic example of what can be done to further encourage people to realise the benefits of driving an electric vehicle.”  

The Electric Vehicle Association Scotland’s director Jennifer Walls (right) was also at the launch

The Electric Vehicle Association Scotland‘s director Jennifer Walls was also at the launch and said it was essential for EV journey charger locations offering multiple simultaneous connections to become as common as petrol filling stations.   

“The significant increase we are seeing in drivers switching to all-electric vehicles is incredible and so expanding the charging infrastructure in Scotland is vitally important to meet demand. 

“The opening of facilities such as this will be yet a further incentive for owners of petrol and diesel-powered vehicles to ignore the myths surrounding the lack of EV charge points and make the switch to all-electric. We are looking forward to seeing many more rapid charging stations installed across the country.”