Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Please find below a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Highfield Eco Hub and their answers.
1) With the government’s new policy requiring developers to install electric vehicle chargers in new build properties, are projects like this still required?
The simple answer is yes.
Grupotec welcomes the government’s announcement that require new homes and buildings to have EV charging points. This helps address the chronic shortage in the provision for EV charging as we get ever closer to the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in 2035.
The government’s focus on the delivery of EV charging points reinforces the need to deliver publicly available charging points. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders believes that, even taking account of EV charging at home, work and supermarkets in future, at least 700 public charging points must be installed each day for the next 7 years - https://www.smmt.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/SMMT-Electrified-blueprint-FINAL.pdf
The need is even more pressing to ensure that rural communities are not left behind. The Policy Exchange think tank has warned that unless there is a significant increase in the rollout of publicly available EV charging points, we could see "charging blackspots" in small towns and rural areas – www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-59369715
It is therefore imperative that we move to increase the provision of public charging points with projects like the Highfield Eco Hub.
What happens if you need to charge your EV while you’re making a journey? What about the existing 25 million homes, the vast majority of which lack the provision to charge an EV? What about two car families and those with no off-street parking? It cannot be expected that all will be able to install the necessary home charging points.
We need to make charging an EV as simple and convenient as refuelling a petrol or diesel vehicle. With the proposed Eco Hub, we can ensure that this corner of Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire will not become a “charging blackspot” and get left behind as the rest of the country moves forward into the future.
2) Why is the site a suitable location for the proposed Eco-Hub?
Firstly, the A505 Baldock Road is a vital transport corridor, therefore it is a convenient place to enable electric vehicle charging, like the location of conventional petrol stations on motorways and A roads.
EV numbers will increase rapidly over the coming years. In November 2020, the Government brought forward by a full decade a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars; such cars will not be available in the UK from 2030 – less than 7 years from now.
At present, there are insufficient charging facilities locally and those that exist typically comprise low-power chargers, in small numbers, in local towns.
Research shows that unless charging facilities are provided in rural areas, rural communities, will be left behind on EVs. This project plugs a regional gap in charging facilities and helps re-balance the current bias towards more populated areas.
3) How many cars can be charged per hour / day at the EV station?
The number of vehicles that the Eco Hub can charge will depend on the size of the battery in the vehicle, what range the driver wishes to add and the type of charger used. To give an example based on current, reasonable estimates, a 60 kWh battery charged to 80% using an ultra-rapid charger would take around 10-15 minutes.
Using a rapid charger, this may take 40 minutes. This level of charge would provide an electric vehicle with a range of roughly 144-192 miles. If the Eco Hub is open 12 hours per day and has 12 chargers, with an average charge of 30 minutes, up to 288 electric vehicles could be charged each day.
4) What is the range of the average EV compared to a conventional petrol / diesel vehicle?
The range of electric vehicles varies widely between different makes and models. However, most modern electric vehicles have a range of 200+ miles.
5) Is it true that it can take 6 hours to fully charge an EV?
The time taken to charge an electric vehicle will depend on the size of the battery in the vehicle, what range the driver wishes to add and the type of charger used. Home chargers may take many hours to charge a vehicle, although this is often overnight when the vehicle isn’t being used.
The rapid and ultra-rapid chargers of the type proposed for the Eco Hub can charge most vehicles much quicker than this – typically between 10-40 minutes. Ultra-rapid chargers can charge at up to “1,000mph”, i.e. they can add range to the vehicle at a rate of 1,000 miles for each hour they are being charged – equivalent to 100 miles every 6 minutes - www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-cars/new-tesla-supercharger-can-give-1000-miles-charge-hour
6) EVs are expensive. Is there a second-hand EV market?
EV prices are falling as battery costs fall and electric cars are expected to cost the same or less than their petrol/diesel equivalents within the next 5 years - www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry-news-environment-and-energy/richard-parry-jones-cost-parity-between-evs-and-ice
There is a growing second-hand EV market too, with Autotrader - https://www.autotrader.co.uk - showing over 19,000 used electric cars for sale on 21 February 2023 with a starting price of £4,350.
7) Why is there a move to transition from crude oil to electric vehicles in the UK?
The move to electric vehicles in the UK (and around the world) is largely related to efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, which is released by petrol and diesel (fossil-fuel) cars.
Replacing a petrol or diesel car with an electric vehicle is often seen as a way of reducing a driver’s carbon footprint – https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52719662
Electric vehicles are also being promoted in towns and cities to reduce air pollution (there are no exhaust emissions from electric vehicles).
8) Will there be an increase in traffic once the hub is operational?
It will be located on the A505, a major transport hub that connects the area to and from the A1(M) and the M11. Like any conventional service station, we anticipate that that customers will be existing road users.
9) How about wildlife, would it be displaced?
The project would be carefully designed to minimise effects on existing wildlife, both diurnal and nocturnal.
In fact, the project will deliver a net gain in biodiversity on the site. And sheep-grazing will continue within the solar farm aspect of the project.
10) What opening times do you expect the Eco-Hub to have?
The café/shop element will have typical trading hours (perhaps 07h00-19h00, 7 days per week) although the EV charging element may be open for longer. This will be agreed at a later date with South Cambridgeshire District Council, should the project obtain planning consent.
11) How about noise?
EVs are quiet by their nature and the project would cause little additional noise for the local community. The design will respect its location.
12) What is the timescale for development and how long would the hub be operational?
The construction of the eco hub is planned for 2024. The project is expected to operate for 40 years.
13) How does this plan fit in with local planning policies?
South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Local Plan Policy CC/2 supports renewable energy developments, while in November 2019, South Cambridgeshire District Council declared a climate emergency.
This declaration is underpinned by the announcement of the Council’s Zero Carbon Strategy, which outlines their ambition to halve carbon emissions by 2030 and reduce them to zero by 2050. It seeks to explore how electric vehicle charging points can be delivered across the district.
Moreover, in 2019, Cambridgeshire County Council declared its own Climate and Environment Emergency. Its subsequent Climate and Environment Strategy prioritises the transition to renewable energy.
To this end, Cambridgeshire County Council has outlined a vision for every home and business in the county to be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2045.
As the site is located close to the border with Hertfordshire, it is worth noting that North Hertfordshire Council declared its own climate emergency in May 2019. It has adopted its own Climate Change Strategy 2020-2025.
As such, this project accords with the ethos of the relevant Local Plan and responds to the central aims of all three, local climate emergency strategies, by producing clean, zero-carbon electricity for the National Grid.
14) What job opportunities will the Eco Hub create?
During construction, we expect the hub to create up to perhaps 50 temporary construction jobs over a period of 3-6 months.
Once operational it is estimated that the scheme will support around four full-time equivalent jobs (FTE) in the regional economy, including approximately 6-8 local, part-time jobs relating to the EV charging station, café and shop.
15) What happens at the end of the Eco Hub’s life?
At the end of its expected 40-year life, the site would be fully decommissioned, and this will incorporate all elements; solar farm, charging infrastructure and battery storage facility and associated infrastructure such as the seating area etc.
The detailed decommissioning arrangements would be expected to be included in the list of planning conditions associated with any future planning permission.
Nearer the time of decommissioning, a decision would be made as to how much of the underground infrastructure should be taken away, given that the environmental disturbance may be significant if it is to be removed after 40 years.
That said, the project is completely reversible, and all aspects could be fully removed if that is the preferred option at the time.
16) Is the taxpayer subsidising this project?
No – this project is financed entirely by private capital.