Osprey Charging secures roll-out deal with retail park company

Kent based EV charging network Osprey Charging has announced a tie up with Ediston, an Edinburgh-based property investment, development and asset management company, to install rapid EV charging infrastructure across Ediston’s retail sites in the UK. 

The partnership will open up rapid destination charging to EV drivers visiting retail brands including Aldi, The Food Warehouse and Costa.

Each of an initial ten sites will host up to six high powered chargers, capable of adding power to cover 100 miles in ten minutes. The first site is a hub located at Haddington Retail Park, East Lothian, currently under construction.

The charging sites will utilise Tritium 75kW chargers combined with load-balancing technology developed by Finnish company Kempower. This distributes power based on demand, which allows a greater number of high-power chargers to be installed on a relatively small grid supply. The Kempower technology also reduces wait times and maximises the speed and availability of chargers.

Graham Lind, Head of Retail Warehouse Asset Management at Ediston, said, “On-site EV charging at retail parks will soon become an essential offering and customers will expect to be able to charge their vehicles wherever they shop and our tenants will expect us to provide the infrastructure which enables them to do so. Osprey provides the perfect solution to attract the rapidly growing number of EV-driving customers to our sites.”

Patrick Sherriff, Business Development Director at Osprey Charging added, “Retail parks are prime locations for EV charging, allowing drivers to top up their EVs while making use of the retail facilities. Forward thinking companies like Ediston are ensuring they stay ahead of the curve by ensuring their sites are equipped to meet the needs of the growing market of EV drivers. By ‘grabbing the grid’ and securing vital connections for rapid EV chargers before its competitors, Ediston is positioning its sites as the go-to shopping destinations for EV drivers.”

Ediston says that by offering on-site rapid EV charging services at its retail warehouse parks, it is future-proofing its portfolio for the growing demand for EV charging and bringing an added incentive to use its sites, directly benefitting its tenants with increased footfall and dwell time. Osprey will cover all costs associated with installing and servicing the rapid charging points while sharing the profits, minimising financial risk.

The announcement supports Osprey’s plans to rollout 150 high powered EV charging hubs by 2024 as part of a £75 million investment programme.