GRIDSERVE open the UK’s first Electric Forecourt, delivering the electric vehicle charging experience of the future

GRIDSERVE has opened the doors to the UK’s first ever Electric Forecourt® in Braintree, Essex, paving the way for mass electric vehicle (EV) adoption well ahead of the recently announced ban on petrol and diesel vehicles, due in 2030.

Powered by 100% renewable energy and capable of adding 200 miles of range to 36 EVs simultaneously every 20 minutes, GRIDSERVE’s futuristic Electric Forecourt® represents a bellweather for the massive expansion of Net Zero carbon EV charging infrastructure, with over 100 more Electric Forecourts® being built by the company over the next five years.

The £1bn UK-wide network of Forecourts – which will all boast a “best of British” retail experience and high-end facilities such as office pods, a well-being area, and free ultra-fast Wi-Fi – is aimed at providing people with the confidence to go electric and aims to make EV driving an enjoyable, ultra-convenient and stress-free experience.

Greenhouse worked with GRIDSERVE to devise an impactful communications strategy for the announcement and developed strong messaging to maximise the impact of the launch and encourage drivers from across the country to visit the site.

The campaign achieved more than 600 pieces of media coverage, including in The Times, Guardian, BBC, Independent, Telegraph, Daily Mail, Bloomberg, CNBC and Forbes, as well as articles in key trade publications, including Greentech Media, Cleantechnica and Auto Car.

Overall, the coverage reached over 2.1 billion people, and positioned GRIDSERVE as a leading player in UK EV charging infrastructure, helping to attract new partners, investment, and political support which will all be key to delivering their vision of building over 100 Electric Forecourts® across the UK in the next 5 years.

Alongside the grand opening of the Electric Forecourt®, GRIDSERVE, in partnership with Hitachi Capital (UK), also launched the UK’s first Net Zero emissions EV leasing service, GRIDSERVE Electric Vehicle solutions. The service is designed to bring the cost of driving electric well below that of petrol or diesel cars.

Charging at GRIDSERVE’s Electric Forecourts is included as part of the monthly payments, ensuring leasing is affordable and charging is clean. To reduce the environmental impact of EVs even further, GRIDSERVE is planting 100 trees for every EV leased through the service. This helps to minimise the carbon emissions from supply chain processes, such as manufacturing.

Greenhouse has worked closely with GRIDSERVE as it has turned its ambitious vision for the future of electric mobility into a reality.

Ahead of the opening, in partnership with Fully Charged, EV influencers from across the UK were invited for an exclusive preview of the Forecourt. Engaging the EV online community created a positive buzz of anticipation ahead of the official launch and ensured that the exciting news was spread rapidly throughout the online community. This meant that by opening day, the Forecourt was bustling with enthusiastic EV drivers.

To generate excitement and anticipation for an even wider audience, Greenhouse organised over 10 onsite visits on the same day as the Fully Charged influencer event. High-profile journalists from publications including BBC, Press Association, Associated Press, Sunday Times, Daily Mail and Auto Express were invited to the site to take photos, conduct filming, and interview spokespeople and influencers. The resulting coverage was some of the most in-depth and positive media coverage achieved during the campaign.

The media appeal was further strengthened with a comprehensive media toolkit, including a compelling press release, quotes from high profile partners, such as Transport Minsiter, Rachel Maclean, and a selection of eye-catching images and video content.

Alongside the media campaign, Greenhouse successfully delivered an impactful and fully integrated social media campaign for GRIDSERVE, raising awareness of the opening of the Electric Forecourt and GRIDSERVE’s new Net Zero leasing service. This involved developing engaging social content, carrying out targeted community building, designing strong visual assets, and producing high-quality sharable video content which built interest and anticipation around the announcement. 

On the day of the opening, GRIDSERVE’s social media content achieved 82K impressions and over 2,500 engagements, including from high-profile accounts Innovate UK, BEIS, Costa Coffee and BBC Essex.

Looking ahead

GRIDSERVE’s Electric Forecourt in Braintree is the first of more than 100 being built across the UK in the next five years. As the country prepares for the ban of petrol and diesel sales by 2030, a nation-wide roll out of easy to use, simple and renewably-powered EV charging infrastructure is more important now than ever before.

Toddington Harper, GRIDSERVE’s CEO said:

“It’s our collective responsibility to prevent greenhouse gas emissions rising further, and electric vehicles powered by clean energy represent a large part of the solution. However, charging has to be simple and free of anxiety. Which is why we’ve designed our Electric Forecourts® entirely around the needs of drivers, updating the traditional petrol station model for a net-zero carbon world and delivering the confidence people need to make the switch to electric transport today – a full decade ahead of the 2030 ban on petrol and diesel cars”

For more information on GRIDSERVE, visit https://www.gridserve.com/.

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