Region joins UK charging network

The points at Hetland Hall Hotel and Welcome Break are two of four on the ‘Rapid Charge Network’ within the region, providing a vital link from England to Northern Ireland.
Hetland Hall Hotel manageress Claire Johnson said: “I think everyone wants to be a part of making Britain greener, and for sales of electric cars to go forward we need to provide them with the facilities for that to happen.”
The charging point was installed at no charge to the hotel, who reclaim used electricity.
Claire said: “We have had a few people use it already, and considering there’s only a few charging points in the area then its definitely a positive for us to have one.”
A total of 74 new state-of-the-art fast chargers on major trunk routes form the 1100km charging network on the UK’s busiest roads, funded by the European Union and vehicle manufacturers.
Each installation includes at least two charge points that are compatible with most EVs on sale today, and is capable of powering a typical electric vehicle’s battery to 80 per cent of its capacity in less than 30 minutes.
The £5.7 million investment in the Rapid Charge Network was part-funded by the European Union’s Trans European Transport Network programme and by Nissan, BMW, Renault and Volkswagen.
Hailing the introduction of fast chargers, Zero Carbon Futures managing director Dr Colin Herron said: “The development of the network has however not been without its challenges – in particular the lack of available power in some areas which we know will be an issue for the future.
“We hope to see continued investment into charging facilities in the UK to support the roll-out of the next generation of vehicles.”
The other charging points in Dumfries and Galloway are at Port Roadie Service Station in Stranraer and The Cocoa Bean Co at Kirkcudbright, running down into Cumbria to Manchester, then west into Wales, east to Hull and south to London.