Osprey acquires land to establish its largest EV charging hub in Scotland

Osprey Charging is pushing ahead with plans to 16 ultra-rapid chargers in Paisley, Glasgow, after completing the purchase of the land.

Planning approval to construct a 300kW ultra-rapid charging hub has already been obtained and construction work is expected to start in the summer, with the site expected to officially open at the start of 2025.

The 16-charger hub will mark Osprey’s largest charging location in Scotland and will be located opposite the Phoenix Retail Park on the A737, just minutes from the M8 and Glasgow Airport.

Located adjacent to the Showcase Cinema and just north of the McDonald’s drive-thru, it will also be near many on-site shops and amenities that drivers can make use of while recharging their EVs.

The hub is Osprey’s second freehold site following the Salmon’s Leap location in Devon, which opened last year. The fast-growing rapid charging network is also poised to make further acquisition announcements in the coming weeks.

Osprey, which has already installed over 200 rapid and ultra-rapid charge points in 2024, said having the freehold for the site delivers significantly enhanced flexibility for its design, ensuring it fits in seamlessly with its values of simple, convenient, safe and accessible for all charging.

Ian Johnston, CEO of Osprey Charging, said: “The purchase of freehold sites is an important strategy for Osprey, as it enables us to build larger public charging locations with greater flexibility over their design. This hub will be crucial in supporting the uptake of EVs in Scotland, as well as in meeting growing demand for reliable, accessible and high-quality EV charging across the UK.

“In 2024, we have successfully delivered nine high-powered hubs across various UK locations, and the new Paisley hub opposite the Phoenix Retail Park will be another significant milestone in our rapidly expanding network. As the year progresses, our goal is to complete 30 hubs, which will be a monumental stride not only in the advancement of our network but also in fortifying the broader public EV charging infrastructure.”

Osprey Charging’s now spans more than 1,000 rapid and ultra-rapid chargers in key urban and rural locations across the UK. Its chargers have a reliability rate of 99% and the charge point operator was also recognised as a ‘Driver Recommended Network’ for a fourth time by Zapmap, as revealed in the 2023/4 rankings.