Worth mentioning that Gridserve also have non-MSA chargers now. For example at some Dobbies garden centres and Howdens Inverness.

 

Agreed - although that's probably worthy of its own table!

 

Was interested in the Stafford North Bound new chargers in your list, but unfortunately looking at the comments on Zap map they are capped at 40Kw which is a bit disappointing. Normally I charge at Knutsford as the right hand charger can do 65 kw but the left hand only does 55 kw and its pot luck which one I get on.

Its a bit of a charging desert Northbound on M6 from Stafford to Charnock unless you come off the Motorway for Tesla Super charger at Trentham Gardens or Ionity at Stafford but I prefer the convenience of using the MSA's rather than coming off the motorway, plus Ionity is always super busy

 

unless you come off the Motorway for Tesla Super charger at Trentham Gardens

Can recommend Pau (top end of the shops, by the Ferris wheel) for coffee and cake whilst you're charging there.

 

Passing south along the A1(M) today, and can confirm that Washington NB, SB, Scotch Corner and Leeming Bar are all being expanded.
Managed to park up at Leeming but Scotch Corner was pure hell to park at (although that may be de rigeur for 12pm on a Friday). 6 more T360s have gone in there and look almost finished.
As for Leeming Bar, excavation works are underway, with charger foundations yet to be installed. More power cabinet foundations are going in too.

Will try and call in at Scotch Corner (again!), Durham & Washington next week to show pictures of expansion works at each site.

 

This one was new to me. By the A34 A555 junction in Cheadle - S.Manchester.

 

I think it's a Dobbies ? Have a vague memory of driving past it.

 

Washington South, 20/06/2025. No new Gridserves, but 12no. new Tesla V4s (and associated power cabinets) are going in.

Washington North, 17/06/2025. Looks like more V4s are going in here - lads on site said 10 units.

Durham, 17/06/2025. New DNO cabinet in (1st image below), complementing the existing and presumably boosting the power input to the site.

Scotch Corner, 17/06/2025. Civils look nigh on finished, with only signs and bollards left to be slotted in. 6 new ABB T360s are yet to be commissioned.

The crane here left northwards shortly after I took this photo.

 

The Tesla chargers have been in place for some weeks at Washington South.
No sign of them being commissioned though.

Given the relatively small size of the car park, quite significant proportion is given to chargers now.

 

And an update for Tamworth - works are very much underway now.

This is at the western end:

And this is at the eastern end:

 

And an update for Tamworth - works are very much underway now.

This is at the western end:
View attachment 211716

Any updates on Tamworth M42 Moto?

 

Has anyone mentioned the works underway at Leeming Bar McDonalds on the A1? Popped in there on one of my regular trips down south and most of the car park is barriered off while they were doing the groundwork’s for what looks like a significant upgrade. Makes manouvering into the bays furthest from McDonalds a bit of a challenge when other bays are occupied, especially the end bay, but hopefully it’s short-term pain for a significant improvement at this location.

Found this but no mention of New chargers

ZB24/01961/DPN | Demolition of the motel building and bungalow at Moto Leeming Bar, Great North Road, Bedale, North Yorkshire, DL8 1DT | The Lodge Motel Leeming Services 88 Bedale Road Aiskew Bedale North Yorkshire DL8 1DT
https://planning.hambleton.gov.uk/o...ications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=externalDocuments&keyVal=SL31S6HUGR200

 

Before the A1 was upgraded (we’re talking 15 or so years ago) this was a busy spot right next to the main road. It’s had a slow decline since, but is in a very good location - no obvious alternatives north or south for some distance - for EV charging. Great for a splash and dash when heading home to the north east.

Top tip, if travelling from the south: come off the A1 about 12 miles south, junction of the A61 Ripon, and take the service road which runs parallel to the A1. It’s a quick road and avoids the detour of the actual Leeming Bar junction which is more than a mile north of the services.

 

Been everywhere recently - managed to spy a bit of work going on at Moto Birch (westbound) through the afternoon rush-hour traffic. (I, and everyone else on the M62 were moving at a fairly glacial pace to reach Simister Island.)

No such movement at Moto Trowell (southbound or northbound).

 

I tried avoiding Gridserve last weekend, saved myself about £30 using the evil Tesla chargers instead, means going off the Motorway Network but nice charging locations.

Lancaster to Colchester 550 miles round trip in Renault Megane EV60, 30p per Kwh cheap rate, 50p Kwh Day rate

Tesla Super Charger Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent
Tesla Super Charger Trumpington, Cambridge

 

I tried avoiding Gridserve last weekend, saved myself about £30 using the evil Tesla chargers instead, means going off the Motorway Network but nice charging locations.

Lancaster to Colchester 550 miles round trip in Renault Megane EV60, 30p per Kwh cheap rate, 50p Kwh Day rate

Tesla Super Charger Trentham Gardens, Stoke-on-Trent
Tesla Super Charger Trumpington, Cambridge

Yes it’s hard to deny their cheapness and ubiquity.

 

Drivers be aware: £10 authorisation fees now apply at the 85p/kWh locations. Noticed this while charging at Moto Wetherby this afternoon.

 

Do you mean a preauthorisation fee? According to their website it's £10 preauth for contactless (85p/kWh) or £30 for app (79p/kWh) but I think they convert it into the actual charge almost as soon as the charge stops. I've certainly never noticed a preauth hanging around on a Gridserve charge the way they do with some other operators.

Note they do say it will be "immediately released"

Pre-authorisation charges
Pre-authorisation is a temporary hold of funds against your payment method, which is immediately released once charging is completed. A £30 pre-authorisation applies when using the app, while a £10 pre-authorisation is applied to all contactless payments across the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway

 

Moto Ferrybridge ( Gridserve Upgrade )
Great North Road
Knottingley
WF11 0AF

(6) Gridserve 360 Rapids

Awaiting decision

25/01409/FUL Installation of 2no. substations and 1no. communications cabinet and associated works to support electric vehicle charging facilities.
https://planning.wakefield.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=SZR1IFQQGM900

 

I guess you're right. I did like the idea of what they suggested but I'm not sure if it would work.

The instavolt at clatterbridge always seems very popular and that's not far away so maybe that's a good sign for them ?

 

With every other vendor of every product, not just car charging and including Gridserve, the card reservation or hold system has worked. When it didn't, I eventually concluded bp pulse just didn't want my business, and the feeling is mutual. A few posts in the thread quoted below tell the story. BP is in my list now of charge point operators only ever of last resort. Gridserve is good apart from their rather high prices.

I had a failed charge (using a credit card) on 4 January. A real payment of £30 appears in my account. On 17 January, I asked BP Pulse to refund this, and got the reply, "It can take up to 30 days for banks to refund these charges therefore before this time frame has passed, we are unable to request a refund." I asked again for my refund on 9 February, and this time was asked for a bank account, as "bp pulse HereToHelp" explained that they couldn't make payments to a credit card. Did that. Still no refund.

This is a real payment of £30, not just a reservation against my credit limit.

This thread has reminded me to chase BP and, if no prompt action this time, ask my credit card issuer for a chargeback. And before you ask - the charge on 4 January was not in my journey plan, but crossing the CHAdeMO deserts of Norfolk used rather more charge than I expected. My first attempt at using a BP charger.

 

If I pay by card I will pay with my credit card and this seems not to attract this (It's also my Tesco Clubcard, so I get the points).

I mostly look for Octopus Electroverse payments, which also doesn't attract a prepayment.

 

If I pay by card I will pay with my credit card and this seems not to attract this (It's also my Tesco Clubcard, so I get the points).

I mostly look for Octopus Electroverse payments, which also doesn't attract a prepayment.

Almost certainly the reservation was applied to your credit card, but correctly and promptly released when the card made the real payment or the transaction was cancelled. It's generally invisible unless you are close to your credit limit (for a credit card) or close to your overdraft limit (for a debit card). Gridserve at one time had a selling point that they reserved only £1 except at Rugby, which may be why they have to flag their £30 card reservation now.

Octopus Electroverse can guarantee payment to the charge point operator without needing a reservation -- you have an account with Octopus which they could use to chase payment if necessary. It's annoying that Gridserve and Electroverse are not "partnered" though.

 

Cheaper than Tesla? Trentham Gardens Tesla is 33p kwh off peak 52p kwh peak.

 

Tesla aren’t relevant to me to be honest. They’re usually not in convenient locations, usually have very few good facilities nearby and you have to use an app to use the majority of them. Plus it means giving money to Tesla, which isn’t something I’m going to do anytime soon. And I don’t have to put up with lectures on how Tesla drivers are more important than everyone else and they shouldn’t have to share their chargers!

Cheaper than GRIDSERVE is what I quite obviously meant.

 

Well, Gridserve were quick to commission! Both sets of expansion works at Leeming Bar (was 6no., now 18no.) and Scotch Corner (was 12no., now 24no.) have been completed, if ZapMap's anything to go by.

 

Leeming Bar (was 6no., now 18no.)

I saw an announcement for this from Gridserve on Facebook earlier this week.

 

There's a new-ish Gridserve hub at Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9AD, near M5 J26.
Decent alternative to Taunton Deane MSA.
12x 180kW CCS, 2x Chademo. Not seen this mentioned elsewhere.

 

Unfortunately j26 is closed both ways until the end of September

 

In the app it says Save 10p per kwh is you charge using the app.
Unsure what t&c's apply

 

Appears to be time limited until 12th September at 75p/kWh in the app... and it looks like all sites after that date will then be 85p/kWh! Ouch

 

Has anyone seen any updates on the Norton Canes site (M6 Toll) ? I was there a few weeks ago and an area was fenced off next to the old Gridserve chargers, looks like they are finally getting some new chargers, no idea when though (just said 'soon' iirc)

 

Gridserve prices are a real pity, think they would clean up on the motorways if they were competitive. Surely they can't be paying more than 25p for electricity? (including VAT)

 

The costs that now drive high prices at CPOs are connection charges and standing charges as I understand it, more so than the energy price. And Gridserve do well anyway, in my experience they are generally pretty busy when the roads are busy. They are the obvious option for anyone who just wants to get in and go without planning a journey, and that's now a viable option for many people whereas itn the past you needed a lot of luck.

 

If you search via the Tamworth Planning site use Chrome browser or others ( I found that for this site Firefox does not work )
Moto Tamworth Service Area, Green Lane, Tamworth, B77 5PS

15 May 2024

Reference: 0069/2024
Installation of additional EV charging facilities and associated works
Installation of additional EV charging facilities and associated works

Planning Application Search

Reference:
0244/2023 Installation of an electric vehicle charging hub and associated works
Moto Tamworth Service Area, Green Lane, Tamworth, B77 5PS

29 September 2023

 

The pictures i quoted are clearly after the planning.... Ill have a look maybe at somepoint as i have noticed &charge challenges have popped up for the site under GS.