New forecourt for electric vehicles opens at London Gatwick

London Gatwick claims to have become the first international airport to open an Electric Forecourt, a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging station for all to use from today.

The brand-new site has 30 high-power and low-power electric vehicle chargers available via contactless payment alongside high-speed Wi-Fi, a lounge area, Costa Coffee, Little Fresh convenience store and an interactive EV experience area.

All charging bays at the GRIDSERVE operated facility are powered by 100% net zero energy, with the fastest chargers capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes.

The airport’s development director, Bronwen Jones, said: “The charging station has been placed in a strategic location and will be available to millions of passengers, commuters, staff, residents and businesses that pass through the area each year.   

“We are making sustainability part of everything we do here at London Gatwick and we are committed to creating a low-carbon economy by providing new infrastructure that everyone can use, so together we can reduce emissions. As we invest in our long-term, future growth additions such as GRIDSERVE are vital to London Gatwick’s ecosystem.”

The Electric Forecourt is located on the Ring Road South approach to London Gatwick’s South Terminal. The building is open every day from 4:30am to 10:00pm, with chargers available 24/7 year-round.   

The new addition follows the opening of London Gatwick’s new-look train station in November, doubling the concourse space, widening platforms and adding new lifts and escalators.

These projects, alongside the airport helping to fund new hydrogen buses on the local Metrobus network and investing in doubling the Gatwick-Reading train service, contribute towards London Gatwick’s ambition for 60% of journeys to and from the airport to be zero or ultra-low emissions, by 2030.

London Gatwick has recently achieved Level 4+ ‘Transition’ of the Airport Carbon Accreditation scheme – the only institutionally-endorsed, global carbon management certification programme for airports.

Earlier this year, London Gatwick accelerated its commitment to be net zero for its own Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030, 10 years ahead of its previous commitment. This ambition is in line with all other airports operated by VINCI Airports in Europe.