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The site, near Portishead Marina, has two rapid chargers (50kW) and four charging bays, allowing drivers to charge their EVs in just 30 to 60 minutes.
Portishead’s hub comes complete with a solar canopy and is part of the West of England’s Revive network of charging points.
The location was chosen as it is close to the leisure centre, to shops and to other local amenities.
To mark the opening of the state-of-the-art hub a film has been produced to show the benefits of owning an electric vehicle. The film can be viewed on North Somerset Council's YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/AzdzrzxcOCo
As part of North Somerset Council’s ambition to be carbon neutral by 2030, Portishead’s rapid charging hub and the wider Revive network offer residents and visitors more sustainable travel choices, with the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles ending in 2030.
The Portishead hub is one of four planned for the region through the Revive network, launched by the four local councils and delivered as part of the Go Ultra Low West (GULW) project, with funding from the Office for Zero Emissions Vehicles (OZEV).
Over £7m investment will deliver around 150 EV charging bays, with 30 of them in North Somerset.
Bristol’s first rapid charging hub is now open at Eastville Park and South Gloucestershire’s can be found at the Bristol and Bath Science Park.
A 22kW fast charger with two charging bays is also now open in North Somerset’s Sand Bay, at the Sand Road carpark.
Cllr Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council's Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Services, said: “The council recognises the lead role we play in electric vehicle charging. We are installing infrastructure to give residents the confidence to buy an electric vehicle.
We will continue to explore options for further public charging locations across North Somerset to further support the shift to electric, zero emission travel.”
Cllr Bridget Petty, North Somerset Council's Executive Member for Climate Emergency and Engagement added: “The new rapid charging hub near Portishead Marina, along with the growing Revive network, is a positive move towards our vision of a greener transport system which is kinder to the environment.
The project also serves as a demonstration hub, showing us the ‘art of the possible’. We hope it will get the young minds of today questioning where their energy is coming from."
The rapid charging hub’s innovative structure, designed by Hewitt Studios, has been nominated for several prestigious design awards. It is a finalist in the Product Innovation Award category of the 2021 Offsite Construction Awards and a finalist in the Construction Excellence South West (CESW) awards.
For information about switching to an EV, visit https://travelwest.info/electric-vehicles.
To nominate a publicly accessible, on-street location for a charging point near you, visit the EV section on the TravelWest website.
To use the network and its growing series of rapid and fast charging hubs, users can sign up at https://revive.geniecpms.com/.
For more information about EVs and the Revive network in North Somerset, contact senior engagement officer Ruby Tobin in North Somerset Council’s Sustainable Travel team at sustainable.travel@n-somerset.gov.uk.