Swarco Smart Charging has installed two new rapid EV charge points at Machynlleth in Powys as part of Transport for Wales’ roll-out of rapid charging network.

The new sites follow the success of the first Swarco site at Bala

The new sites follow the success of the first Swarco site at Bala and have been installed as TfW works with Swarco to ramp up infrastructure, which will eventually provide EV charging at every 25-mile stretch of the country’s Strategic Road Network.

By the end of the year, Swarco expects to have installed at least 35 50kW rapid charge points at 18 sites spread across four Welsh Local Authority areas: Carmarthenshire, Powys, Denbighshire and Gwynedd. The majority of the chargers are being installed within local authority-owned car parks.

The first site – at Bala – went live last November, and the next site expected to go live is Crickhowell in South Wales.

Since Bala became operational there have been more than 1,400 charging sessions (delivering a total 29,641kWh of electricity) and by June the site was being used more than seven times a day (delivering a combination of either AC and DC charging sessions).

Anne Buckingham, sales director of Swarco Smart Charging, said: “It is commonly accepted that the future uptake of EVs – in Wales and other parts of the UK – is dependent on having an appropriate charging infrastructure in place. That means installing charge points now, even when demand is not especially high.

“It is very encouraging, therefore, to see data that demonstrates how often the Bala site is being used, and we hope and expect to see the same for Machynlleth now that the Swarco rapid charge points are in use.”

Buckingham added that the organisations were working extensively on the creation of this rapid charging network.

“It is a complicated project involving multiple authorities, and multiple lease agreements, and considerable investment to get the necessary power to the individual sites but ultimately this network will be a catalyst for change,” she concluded.