A new ultra-rapid electric vehicle charging hub said to be the largest in Greater Manchester has opened at Trafford’s Sale Water Park.

The chargers were officially opened in a ceremony attended by Trafford Borough councillors and the general public

The £1m site is equipped with 16 ultra-rapid charging bays and able to charge up to 380 EVs each day thanks to its load-balancing technology. It’s located just two minutes from the M60, enabling use by Trafford residents but also those travelling further afield.

The chargers were installed by community-focused charging network Be.EV and officially opened in a ceremony attended by Trafford Borough councillors and the general public.

The new site marks a major step forward for Trafford Council, which is working towards a target of getting all of Trafford’s 236,000 residents within 10 minutes of a charger.

Richard Roe, Trafford Council corporate director of place, said: “Sale Water Park is one of the borough’s most popular destinations so we’re delighted visitors will now be able to take advantage of these convenient rapid chargers.

“We hope their launch will encourage more people to join the EV movement while continuing our ambition to make it possible for anyone to go electric, no matter where they live in Trafford.”

Sale Water Park is the latest project in Be.EV’s wider collaboration with Trafford Council, which has already seen more than 41 chargers go live across the region.

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, said: “It’s important that EV charging matches what communities need. We want to create charging hubs that are at the right speeds in the right places – rapid and ultra-rapid hubs in proximity to major motorways and trunk roads will play a key role in this mission.”

Be.EV already claims to have the largest public charging network across the North West and is working to expand its national footprint, backed by £110m from renewable energy investor Octopus Energy Generation.

This includes plans for “a substantial investment” in sites in the Midlands – the charge point operator has appointed FHP, a leading commercial property agent, to source new sites in the region, including easy-to-reach city centre and community locations that will improve access to charging facilities for local people.