The world’s first wind turbine-powered post for charging electric vehicles has been launched at Green Park.
The cutting-edge technology developed by green energy company Ecotricity was unveiled at the business park as the company rolled out the country’s first national network of chargers.
As electric cars begin to hit the market, the 4,500 employees at the business park in South Reading will be among the first in the town to have access to the cleaner alternative energy.
The charger, which can charge two cars at once, has also been fitted with a solar panel to harness the power of the sun.
The turbine generates around 3.5 million units of green electricity every year, and the current types of electric cars on the market could be fully charged up in as little as two hours, although in the future, ‘fast-charge’ cars could expect to be 80 per cent charged in just 20 minutes.
Chargers will also be stationed at Welcome Break motorway services across the country and be powered by Ecotricity’s solar panels across the country. The eco-technology will allow drivers to make a green trip from London to Edinburgh or Exeter for free and with vastly reduced harmful emissions.
Deena Shaw, business centre and marketing manager at Green Park, said: “This breakthrough in electric car infrastructure removes one of the main barriers for people wanting to buy electric cars – range anxiety – which currently restricts people to driving within their own city.
“The free-to-use electric vehicle charge point has been installed by ChargePoint next to the wind turbine at Green Park. It will be the world’s first publicly available charge point connected directly to not just one but two renewable energy generation devices – solar and wind.”
