South West’s largest electric vehicle charging site has been unveiled in Devon by Osprey Charging Network, featuring 16 ultra-rapid chargers capable of delivering 300kW and adding 100 miles of range in just 15 to 25 minutes, on a 1.6 acre site in Salmon’s Leap on the A38 Devon Expressway.
The piece of land in Buckfastleigh was acquired by Osprey, one of the UK’s leading EV charging networks in July last year in a first of its kind move to build a dedicated charging bay. The site has now been opened and ready to serve the high volumes of seasonal traffic expected in Devon this summer.
Osprey said it will also critically provide local residents, businesses and visitors with reliable EV infrastructure, helping to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution and support local decarbonisation efforts.
Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve created at Salmon’s Leap. We purchased the land so have been able to precisely design the space and install hardware that maximises availability and ease of use of chargers for all types of vehicles and drivers.
“Our largest site yet, it is a significant milestone for the Osprey team as we work tirelessly to ensure that our nationwide infrastructure deployment of rapid EV charging stations continues at an unprecedented pace.”
> New rapid EV charging sites unveiled by Osprey Charging in Hull and Bridgend
Before Osprey’s acquisition, Salmon’s Leap used to be a car park. However, it has been re-designed specifically for EV charging: there are two extra-long bays for towing vehicles, extra-wide bays for full disabled access, and all bays are laid out in Osprey’s unique format that optimises space and charger ease-of-use, so that the hub accommodates all types of vehicle and driver.
The site is easily accessible from both the Plymouth-bound and Exeter-bound carriageways of the A38, and is the ideal place to charge an EV whilst taking a journey break or visiting the farm shop. A planning application is underway for a service-station style canopy, to further enhance the site.
Further, local businesses are also expected to pop up in the area, with a farm shop selling homegrown produce, bakery and meals, along with another coffee shop are imminent.
The 16 high-power charge points at the hub are compatible with every rapid-charging vehicle on the market. Each is capable of 300kW charging for vehicles able to accept this high power, without wasting any power on lower-capability cars thanks to the latest innovative load-balancing technology. This means customers of the hub can add 100 miles of range in just 15 to 25 minutes.
Earlier this month, we reported that Osprey had opened two new rapid charging sites at Bridgend and one at Hull, equipped with Osprey’s Tritium rapid 75kW chargers and 6m cable.
Osprey has been finishing several of its projects this year and unveiling a lot of rapid chargers. From January to March this year, 142 new rapid Osprey EV charging stations went live in 10 weeks, already equalling the number of charge points installed throughout 2022. In April, another 50 chargers were installed and made live.
Last month, trade association ChargeUK, of which Osprey is a founding member, revealed that it was aiming to invest £6 billion in EV chargnig by 2030 and double the size of the UK EV charging network in 2023.
> London Borough to have over 2,000 EV charging points by 2024
