Sustainable energy provider Gridserve has opened an electric vehicle charging station at London’s Gatwick Airport that combines thirty vehicle charging bays with a convenience store that uses Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology and a Costa Coffee outlet that allows drivers to pre-order and pay for a coffee that can then be delivered to their charging bay.
The London Gatwick Electric Forecourt is the first EV charging facility of its kind at an international airport, Gridserve says, “and will revolutionise travel for passengers, employees, private hire fleets and the local community.
“The new Electric Forecourt is one of the most advanced EV charging facilities in the world, hosting 30 charging bays, including 22 high power chargers with up to 350kW of power – some of the fastest chargers publicly available today, capable of adding 100 miles of range in only five minutes,” the company explains.
“To make it as easy as possible for customers to charge their EVs, all Gridserve locations feature both CCS and CHAdeMO connectors, accept contactless payment and provide real-time status updates to a myriad of popular EV charging maps. The chargers are powered by net zero carbon energy, supporting Gridserve’s purpose to move the needle on climate change and help pave the way for mass EV adoption well ahead of the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.”
Convenience store
“London Gatwick Electric Forecourt is home to a Little Fresh convenience store, Simply Fresh’s small-store format. This latest Electric Forecourt is the first time a Little Fresh convenience store has implemented Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, speeding up the customer journey and giving guests more time to recharge as their vehicles do the same.
“Visitors to the London Gatwick Electric Forecourt Little Fresh store simply tap their contactless payment card or smartphone wallet upon store entry and grab what they need. The technology detects what the shopper takes from, or returns to, store shelves, creating a virtual shopping cart. When the customer completes the shopping experience, they can leave the store without waiting in line, and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items.”
Coffee
“With innovation and convenience at its heart, the London Gatwick Electric Forecourt Costa Coffee store will also have customer-centric features such as Click & Collect, which will allow Costa Club members to pre-order and pay for selected food and drinks prior to arrival.
“To make life even easier for those charging their EV at the Electric Forecourt, the driver’s favourite handcrafted coffee will be able to be delivered directly to their charging bay.”
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