Manchester’s Sale Water Park set to receive state-of-the-art charging hub in £1M EV deal

Manchester’s Sale Water Park is set to receive a new state-of-the-art charging hub in a £1 million deal with EV charging network Be.EV, with 16 ultra-rapid charger bays set to go live at the 152-acre parkland and lake in August. This is the latest project in Be.EV’s wider collaboration with Trafford Borough Council, which has already seen more than 41 chargers go live across the region, and will make Sale Water Park the largest ultra-rapid charging hub in Greater Manchester.

Cllr Aidan Williams, executive member for climate change at Trafford Council, said: “Becoming home to the largest ultra-rapid charging point in Greater Manchester shows how serious Trafford is about electric travel. Ensuring the charging infrastructure is in place is a key component in making electric vehicle use a viable option for people in the borough.”

1.2MW of power being delivered across 16 charging bays offer ultra-rapid chargers so drivers will be able to charge their cars from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in as little as 20 minutes. The site will be equipped with cutting-edge Kempower chargers that feature unique load-balancing abilities. Kempower chargers can intelligently distribute energy supply between vehicles according to capacity and demand, meaning if one car reaches the maximum amount of power on one charger, any residual energy supply can be reassigned to another vehicle connected on-site.

Visitors to the Sale Water Sports Centre will benefit from the installation, charging their vehicle while out on the water or just having a walk around the park. Being conveniently located just two minutes from the M60, Trafford residents and commuters will also be able to access the site around the clock, with the site able to charge over 380 cars every day.

Be.EV’s public charging network is the largest across the North West with a rapidly expanding national footprint. The network boasts an operational availability rate of 99.6 per cent, but the council will retain ownership of the site while the chargers will be owned, installed and maintained by Be.EV, with a share of the site’s profits given to Trafford Council.

Asif Ghafoor, CEO of Be.EV, said: “The site is testament to Trafford Council’s ambition to have a real impact on Greater Manchester and take the necessary steps towards a net zero future. We are proud to be at the forefront of the EV transition alongside them. They are exemplary partners in the creation of a reliable and sustainable transport network. We look forward to continuing our partnership.”

Be.EV is Transport for Greater Manchester’s preferred charging partner, and the Sale Water Park site is helping the charge network reach its ambitious target of getting each of Trafford’s 236,000 residents within 10 minutes of a charger.